Colors of the Wind
by StEpPiNg StOnEs
Summary: Ogata Mika is just your typical teenage girl, but when she goes to Osaka Gakuen's School Festival, she meets someone extraordinary, who changes her life forever. But will he be able to save her from her family; from her ghosts; from herself? OCxKayashima
1. Chapter 1

**a/n **hello! It's me, StEpPiNg StOnEs! I have decided that I would like to rewrite the existing chapters of this story, so I started doing that. This si the rewrite of Chapter one. Before I rewrite Chapter Two, though, I am going to write chapter seven--something I started doing a while ago, but it got deleted from fanfiction because it started to whole 'life' thing. Grumble, grumble. Anyway! I am going to write that, and then I am going to continue to rewrite the other existing chapters, okay? Hopefully I don't get caught up in something else before I finish. Ha ha.

But seriously. Let's all keep our fingers crossed, okay?

* * *

**Chapter One--**_The Festival_

It was the third day of the Osaka High School fair—the last day. This was the day that outsiders were invited to come join in on the festivities. Most people at St. Blossom's—Osaka's sister school—had jumped at the opportunity to come watch the 'gorgeous men' play sports as well as other such activities. Umeda Rio and Iwakura Yuri were two such people. However, their friend Ogata Mika was not thrilled by the concept of spending her day watching boys sweat and/or dress up like girls. Actually, the very thought _horrified _her.

Men were not meant to wear tights.

They just _weren't!_

When she expressed these thoughts to her friends, they exchanged looks and then burst out into laughter.

"There are other things to do there besides just watching sports and checking out the competition. Minami is hosting a sort of mystery tour thing…" Minami was someone who attended Osaka High that Rio knew; neither Mika nor Yuri knew exactly how they knew one another, and decided not to ask anymore. Whenever they did Rio's eyes flashed and she got sort of angry and embarrassed.

"I've heard it's supposed to be really good," Rio continued. "You could check that out. And different classes have cafes and booths…there's plenty for you to do without seeing men in tights or boring yourself with sports. So what do you say? Will you come?"

Rio and Yuri stared intently at their best friend, both wearing identically pathetic expressions. Mika grimaced as she stared at their trembling lips and their pleading eyes. At long last, she heaved a sigh and nodded consent.

"Yes!" Yuri exclaimed, a grin already in place on her face. She clapped her hands excitedly, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as she went on and on about what a wonderful time the three of them would have together.

"Oh, it will be wonderful!" she declared with a wistful sigh and pushed her jaw-length hair behind her ear. "Of course, we aren't going to make you come to the sports if you don't want to, but there are other events we can all go to together. Like that…mystery thing! And the cafes! I'm so excited!"

Yuri ran to the door, flashed Rio and Mika another grin, and then ran out. Her giggles could be heard all the way down the hall.

Mika rolled her eyes and closed the door which Yuri, in her excitement, had left wide open. "Where's she going? Is she so excited that she decided to leave without us?"

Rio laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Of course not; half the reason she's excited is because the three of us are going _together_. She wouldn't go by herself then. No, she's just going to get changed. She wouldn't want to go there in her uniform, now would she?"

"…No, I suppose _Yuri_ would never do that…"

"And neither would we. So let's get changed, eh?"

Mika groaned and fell back on her bed. "Can't we just stay in our uniforms? It's so much easier, and it shows school spirit! Go St. Blossoms!! Right?"

Rio stared at her roommate over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "You just don't want to get all dressed up for a bunch of stupid boys, am I right?"

Mika grinned. "You know me so well."

"Yeah; I do. However-that doesn't mean I approve of your laziness and unwillingness. Now get over here and pick something out before I do it for you, alright?"

Groaning, Mika lifted herself to her feet. With great slowness and care, she made her way to the closet she and Rio shared. Rio had already picked out her outfit and was sorting through her clothes, seeing if there was anything there for her 'fashionably handicapped' friend to wear, since she didn't think Mika had anything suitable for the occasion.

"There—I have what I am going to wear. Now I am going to get changed, and then we are going to go get Yuri and head over to Osaka—alright?"

Rio knit her brows together and frowned. "You—you're really going to wear that, are you?" She pointed at the blouse and capris Mika had pulled out as if they were some sort of disease. "They don't even _match_!"

Mika shrugged indifferently. "In case you hadn't noticed—fashion is not a top priority of mine. This s the best that I can do with my limited selection. If I weren't going with you and Yuri, I wouldn't eve bother changing out of my uniform, most likely. If I did, I would probably wear a t-shirt and shorts. So be thankful that I came up with this, please."

Rio sighed, blowing her bangs out of her face in irritation. "I guess I could be grateful for that…" She paused and cast a sidelong glance to the hanger her hand was on. "But do you know what would make me even happier? If you would wear this!"

Rio grinned broadly as she held the dress out before her. It was cream colored and had only think straps to hold it up. The top half was rather tight; the front had six evenly spaced buttons (which served no purpose whatsoever). The skirt puffed out significantly, but not obnoxiously. There was a loose bow in the back—this also served no purpose, but, as Rio put it, it was 'cute.'

Mika loosely held the skirt, and then sighed. "Why would me wearing this make you any happier?"

Rio shrugged, barely managing to suppress her smile. "I think that you'll look pretty in it. Looking pretty in front of a school of hot boys never hurts."

Without saying another word, Mika snatched the dress from her friends hands and stormed to the bathroom to get into it; Rio was grinning the entire time.

**X**

**X**

"Oh! You two! Look at this; how cool is this?!" Yuri exclaimed. The three had just walked through the entrance gates to Osaka High School. Hundreds of people were milling about, checking out the different booths that had been set up. "I wish our school did this!"

"Yeah; so do I. Then maybe I wouldn't have to be here," Mika grumbled, brushing her dark bangs out of her face; Rio smirked at her best friend's comment and chuckled, but Yuri remained completely oblivious to it.

"What do you have against coming here, anyway?" Rio whispered.

Mika shrugged. "I just…I get so uncomfortable. I always feel like everyone's watching me, you know? I guess that's what I get, though, for attending all-girl schools since junior high. The last time I really had any length of contact with boys was back before puberty; back when boys were only friends, and nothing else. I blame my parents. If I wasn't in an all-girls' school, or if I had a brother, maybe I wouldn't feel that way!"

Rio shuddered noticeably. "_Trust me;_ you do **not** want an older brother. Just believe me on that one." She looked around briefly and smiled. "However, you _can_ wish you went to a co-ed school. I know I do. And Yuri does too, no doubt. Look at her already!"

Yuri was already talking to a whole bunch of boys, smiling and laughing; she had no clue that the boys she was talking to were already quite smitten by her, and were hoping to get her number. She really didn't know when she was flirting; she was even more oblivious, though, to what she did to every boy she came in contact with.

For a brief moment, Mika felt the all-too-familiar jealousy flare up inside her as she watched Yuri. It had been a while since she'd felt it; she hated that suddenly it was back. But she couldn't help it. People fell into love so easily with Yuri. As if her bubbly, outgoing personality weren't enough, she was also _gorgeous. _She had a very slight build as well as soft, feminine features. Her hair was light brown and naturally curly, so that it curled inward, hugging her face. Her eyes were big and blue; the way they sparkled made it seem like they had a life of their own.

Just looking at her, boys fell madly in love. Then she spoke, and it was like she was rubbing it in everyone else's face. She had a very loud voice, but it was still very smooth. A lot of her words were spoken with a French accent, because she was half French and had lived in France until she was eight years old.

"Mika? Are you alright?" Rio asked, waving a hand in front of Mika's glazed eyes. Mika blinked slowly and then smiled.

"Yeah…Yeah, I'm fine. I think I want to look around a bit."

"Alright! Come on then! We can find Yuri later, when we're ready to go check out Minami's thing. It should be easy enough t find her; all the boys in the immediate area will have flocked around her."

Mika chuckled. "That's true enough. It's actually quite handy, isn't it? Like our tracking device for her."

"That's exactly what it is. Our own little tracking device."

Mika sighed and rubbed her arms self-consciously. She felt so bare; which was why she was so glad that she brought a sweater. She knew she would feel that way even before she had put the dress on. Mika didn't do well in anything that was even slightly revealing. She had grown up in a household where she wasn't allowed to wear such clothing, so when she even thought of it now, when her parents couldn't even see her, she shuddered and shied away from it.

So, while Rio was absorbed in looking at one of the booths, Mika shrugged into the pale brown sweater. Instantly, she felt better. She smiled up at the boy in charge of the booth she stood at, but didn't notice him smiling back, because she had walked off in order to check out other booths.

Just as she was approaching one that looked interesting—'Your Picture With Ghosts,' the sign read in big letters, with smaller letters Mika couldn't read beneath it—Rio ran up to her and spun her around.

"Minami's next show is about to start! We have to go! Come on!"

Mika frowned. "Alright." Her eyes wandered up towards the school's entrance. "Is that why everyone is hurrying inside?"

Rio shrugged indifferently. "Probably."

"We probably won't be able to see it! Why don't we wait for another showing?"

Rio laughed bitterly. "Trust me, Mika; we will get to se it. Minami will let us in the front."

"And why would he do that?"

Rio cocked a brow and smiled mysteriously at her friend. "That is something only a select few know; and I'm sorry, Mika—I just can't tell you or Yuri. Now let's go."

The two dragged Yuri from the crowd and the three rushed inside to see the Mystery Tour.

**X**

**X**

Rio had been right; Minami let the three of them right up front, though he didn't seem pleased in doing so. He continuously cast the younger girl looks that appeared to be almost frightened as he waited to start the show, but once it began, he immediately forgot about the three of them and focused entirely on what he was doing.

It had been a spectacular performance. Yuri could talk of nothing else as the walked to class 2-c's café. Even once they were in there, she yammered on and on about how realistic it was, and how _gorgeous_ Minami was.

Rio appeared to be both grossed out, disturbed, and ticked off as Yuri spoke about this, gushing over the details of his hair and eyes. According to the blue-eyed-beauty, Nanba Minami had grace, good-looks, and charm. He was tall, and he was beautiful.

"I've seen taller people," Rio muttered, clenching her fist so tightly her knuckles were white. "And there are plenty of people who are better looking. Right, Mika? I mean, just look around!"

"I'd rather not," Mika said lowly. She glanced about quickly under her lashes, and shuddered. Why did they choose to come to _this_ café, of all places? It was swarming with men dressed as girls. There were two Mika had seen and thought were actually girls—the Alice in Wonderland and Snow White—but then there were those _others…_

Mika shuddered again and shook her head, but the image of those boys wouldn't leave her mind. One was supposed to be Clara from Heidi, or something, and the other was Rotten Meyer, or something, from Mika hadn't a clue where.

The sight of those two was horrifying.

"Well outside there were plenty of good-looking guys!" Rio amended, realizing that Mika wasn't going to back her up on what was going on in the café, too afraid to look up.

"Yeah," Yuri agreed, "but none as gorgeous as Minami! _Please_, Rio-chan! Tell us how you know him!"

"No," Rio said firmly. She took a sip of coffee and closed her eyes.

"Puh-_leeeeeeaaaaaase_?!" Yuri pleaded; she thrust out her lip and stared at the Umeda through shimmering eyes.

"…Through my family, I guess you could say," Rio grunted, giving in at last.

"Oh, cool! How long have you known him?"

"Since I was a baby."

"Aw, that's so cute! Hey, Mika—wouldn't you think that it would be adorable if, when they were older, they ended up married? I can see it now! After knowing each other for so long—and clearly, not liking each other that much, they started to see one another in a different light! Then, biff bam boom! They're in love! They soon get engaged and then have a beautiful ceremony with just a few of their closest friends and relatives! Oh, that's so adorable!"

Rio listened to Yuri's wistful speech with the expression of utmost horror on her face. Her eyes had glazed over; her skin was chalky; her mouth was frozen in a silent scream.

Yuri smiled at her friend and pat her consolingly on the arm. "You may feel that way now, but give it a few years and I'm sure you'll feel differently."

"Trust me, Yuri—my thoughts on that little…_scenario_ you just gave me, will **never ever** change!"

"You're so stubborn! Kind of like Mika! But okay—okay! You clearly aren't ready to think that way yet."

"With Minami, I will _never_ be ready to think that way."

Yuri chuckled, but said nothing more; and with that, the discussion was over. Mika smiled slightly, replaying the conversation in her mind. Rio was so horrified by the thought, it made her laugh.

Really, though, she couldn't see what Yuri saw. The two just…weren't right for one another. The way they acted around each other was too…familiar. As if they were brother or sister or something. They even looked sort of similar…

"Okay, can we leave the cafe now?" Mika inquired, looking up from her plate for the first time since they had gotten there. "I'm done."

"Whaaaaaat?!" Yuri exclaimed. "I'm not! I haven't even gotten my pastry yet!"

"Neither have I," Rio frowned. "Only you did."

"Yeah! That's not fair! Why do you think that is?"

Rio shrugged, her grin growing so wide it was almost malicious. "Maybe the waiter liked her or something!"

Yuri was grinning, too, now. "Oooooooo!" she screeched, playfully pinching her friend's cheek. Mika scowled and swatted the hand away.

"My order was probably just easiest, that's all." She sighed, running her fingers through her long ponytail in a bored fashion. She exhaled deeply and drummed her fingers on the table. She whistled and she hummed. But, still, their orders didn't come.

"Okay! Well, I'll meet up with you guys outside, okay?"

"Okay. But we're going to the sporting event after this. You are going to be waiting for a while."

Mika shrugged. "I can keep myself entertained." She pulled a small paperback out of her purse and smiled lightly, then disappeared around a corner, her eyes squeezed shut in order to avoid the 'cross-dressing boys.'

**X**

**X**

Outside, it was barren. At least, compared to how it was before it was. Most everyone had gone to the track field by now, though there were some who, like Mika, would rather not be a part of that.

With a soft smile, Mika looked around, allowing the gentle breeze to lift her hair and ripple her dress. She loved the wind; it always made her feel very soothed, and it always carried away whatever was bothering her on its wings—taking her cares for a ride, ridding her of them, if only for a little while.

With great care, Mika lowered herself to the ground and pulled out her book. Her feet were throbbing from walking around on high-heels all day, but worse than that, her ankle was acting up again. Hesitantly, she looked at her ankle, and, sure enough—it was swollen. She knew that she should of wrapped it up, but she was having a vain moment—a rather rare thing for her. She didn't want people to see that. And it wasn't as if the dress would cover it. The dress ended mid-knee.

"Oh well. It'll go away."

And that was that. She blocked out the throbbing sensation then and focused entirely on her book. It was a small, old, worn paperback that she had read many times over. _Peter Pan, _by J.M. Barrie. It was an English book, and when she first got it she struggled through it. But, by now, she read it with such ease it might as well have been written in Japanese.

Mika could easily breeze right on through the book—it was a short little novel, scarcely one-hundred-sixty pages—but she never liked to do that. _Peter Pan_ was a novel that was meant to be read slowly, so that you could taste the words on your tongue—and savor them.

So, by the time the athletic event—whatever it was—was over, and people were slowly leaving the field, Mika was only on page thirty-four. She was so absorbed in the familiar tale, though, that she didn't even notice that the courtyard was slowly filling up once again.

"'Sometimes it was dark, and sometimes it was light, and now they were very cold again and too warm,'" Mika quoted in a whisper. She could feel the beautiful words on her tongue; heavy with their meaning. She loved it. For a minute or so, she sat there, simply pondering those words and what they meant. It was in that moment of weakness—when Mika had set the book down—that the wind, which had been so gentle up until then, picked up. It whistled through the leaves, blew her long hair in her face, and lifted her skirt.

Mika pushed her hair out of her eyes and forced her skirt back down, holding them both as she waited for the wind to die down. It was only once it did, and she had free use of her hands again, that she noticed that the wind had carried away her book.

"No! It's delicate!" Mika screeched. She jumped to her feet—bad move, what with the heels and the ankle—and ran—another bad move—after the book, which was tumbling away. Loose pages were flying off in different directions, and Mika felt like someone was digging a knife into her heart. Her book! Her precious book!

She pushed forward until she had caught up with her book, nearly tackling it as she did so. Then, not even pausing for a breath, she took off after the nearest loose page. She felt like she had lapped the whole courtyard several times before she found the last missing page. By this point, she was out of breath, and she was nearly crying out in agony as her ankle protested to the physical exertion.

Once the wind had finally stopped completely, the page had been caught in the branch of a tree. And, since then, nothing had come to carry it away from its trap.

Mika cursed under her breath and brushed her bangs from her face. It was too high up for her to be able to just reach up and snatch it. She was going to have to climb up in order to get that, and she really just didn't see how that was going to happen.

However, she _had_ to. That was the first page up there—a very important page to the story. Not that any of the pages were _un_important, but the _first page_ was exceptionally so. So, with a deep sigh, Mika kicked off her shoes and grabbed onto the lowest branch. With some difficulty, she pulled herself up onto it. She struggled to maintain her balance as she crawled to a spot where she would be able to reach the next branch from.

There the precious first page was—all the way at the end, caught between leaves. Mika grumbled to herself, cursing her luck, and closed her eyes. She felt herself trembling as she tried to preserve her balance as she crept closer and closer to the page. However, the closer she got, the more the branch sagged in protest to the additional weight, and the harder it was not to fall.

It seemed to take forever, but finally, she made it. Quick as a blink, she snatched the page and made her way backwards. However, now that she wasn't as concentrated, because she had achieved her goal, she wasn't as careful. And, since she wasn't exactly a graceful person, the results of her carelessness were disastrous.

She didn't see it coming; not at all. She was perched on the branch, holding the page in victory, and the next thing she knew, she had fallen from the tree and landed on her feet, though they twisted under the impact and she fell, crumpled, to the ground. As she felt herself falling, she reached for the tree in hopes of catching herself, but merely scraped her hand on the rough bark.

Mika felt tears prickling her eyes and there was already a lump forming in her throat, growing quickly with the scream of agony that was building up inside of her. She swallowed them both down, however, and simply rocked back and forth while hugging her legs close to her, forgetting that she wore a dress.

No one seemed to have noticed her fall, which both relieved her and irritated her. It was embarrassing, so she was pleased that no one had noticed in that regard, but also, it was irritating because now she couldn't move, and no one cared. No one was rushing to her aide, and there was no way she would be able to get herself to some sort of doctor. She hadn't a clue where either of her friends had gotten to. So she was stuck; alone, and bored. She couldn't get herself to concentrate enough to read some more of _Peter Pan_. Too much effort. Besides, tears were fogging up her dark brown eyes, and blinking them away was useless, since they just kept coming back.

Mika was alone; sure, there were people there, but no one knew her, r even noticed her for that matter. Alone. Well, at least it was a familiar sort of feeling. She had often times found herself alone before; at home; at school; out. Just about everywhere she went…alone.

She heaved a sigh and leaned back against the—evil—tree which she had fallen out of. The pain, while it was indeed ebbing away, was by no means gone. She was learning to ignore it, though, just as she had learned to ignore the emptiness inside.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift into a light sleep. She had nothing better to do, and she was tired. She didn't know how long she had been at Osaka, but it was tiring. And she hadn't gotten too much sleep the night before, because she had stayed up late doing homework. Then she had been woken early to the sounds of Rio typing away at the computer. So it was good to sleep, if only for a few minutes.

And a good few minutes it was. She really didn't want it to end, but it did, and then there was nothing she could do about it, because she was captivated by the boy who had woken her. He seemed oddly familiar, though not enough so that she suspected she had known him at some point in her life. Just a face which she had seen before.

A rather _attractive_ face.

Mika blushed vividly in surprise at the thought. She sounded like Yuri; that was something she wasn't used to.

"Hello," she croaked. She hastily repositioned herself so that she was sitting up and her legs were out before her properly.

"Hello," the boy replied. He had a soft voice; Mika liked it. He smiled slightly at her; Mika liked his smile. He had very…soft looking lips, she noticed. And gentle looking eyes. "Are you alright? You had quite a fall."

"Oh. You…saw that?"

The boy nodded. "Your aura is a very violent shade; you appear to be in great pain." He frowned, though whether it was to himself or to Mika, she didn't know. He seemed to be thinking though, about what he said, and almost wishing he could take the words back. "Would you like me to take you up to see the school doctor?"

"Um…sure; thank you. But first, I would like to clarify something."

The boy—she really shouldn't think of him like that; he was her age, and taller than her—waited patiently for her to ask whatever it was, remaining silent and still the entire time—observing her.

"You can see my aura?"

By the way his expression remained blank, Mika guessed that he knew that was what she was going to ask. "Yes," he answered simply.

"That's so neat! How do you do that?"

The strange male shrugged. "It's a…sixth sense, I suppose."

"That is _really_ neat! Could you tell me more about what mine looks like?"

He hesitated before nodding. "It's flashing between red and orange right now; there's also hints of pink."

Mika's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

"Well, it means you're in pain…" He trailed off, as if he didn't want to say what else it meant, fearing that he would embarrass her. Mika didn't even notice the way he stopped, his thoughts hovering there. She was too astounded by what he was telling her.

"Does it say anything else?"

"Well, I saw it earlier, and it was a dull grey—like you were bored. But now it's showing that you're…excited and fascinated." He paused. "You have a very interesting aura. Your thoughts and feelings change so quickly. It's almost hard to keep up."

Mika giggled and hid her face so that he couldn't see her smile or blush—forgetting that he could probably see her feelings with her aura, anyway. "Yes, my friends say I'm a very complicated person," she laughed.

"Is that so?" He was smiling again; he had such an adorable smile. It wasn't very large, but it went all the way to his eyes—which were violet, she noted--a soft, gentle violet.

"Oh, yes indeed!" She laughed some more.

He said nothing to that, but his smile remained on her face. He looked up at the sky, and when his gaze came back down, his smile was gone. Mika herself frowned and almost hurriedly asked him what was wrong, but thought better of it and remained quiet.

"Well, let's get you to the doctor, shall we?"

"Oh—yes, alright. I suppose that…yes," Mika stuttered. She was shocked by the sudden intensity in his eyes—it was almost as if there was a fire blazing in them.

The male offered his hand to help Mika up, and she quickly accepted it. His hands were larger than hers, though they were by no means hard, dirty, or even…big. His hands were gentle, just like the rest of him, but were far from dainty or feminine. They were strong, and clearly belonged to a man, but there was a certain quality…she didn't know. All she knew that his hand felt warm in hers.

"Where are you injured?" he inquired. He looked at her feet as if he already knew the answer.

"My ankle," Mika replied.

"Thought so." He guided her arm so that it was draped across his shoulders. He wrapped one arm around her waist and then was about to reach for her legs, then stopped. "Would you mind if…?"

Mika blinked. "If what?"

He swallowed, as if he was having trouble with the concept or the words…or both. "If I carried you? It would be much easier."

"Oh! Um…I guess that would be…alright."

_Awkward_ but certainly _alright_.

With gentleness and care, he hooked his free arm under her knees and lifted her up so that he carried her bridal style. This was not comfortable for either of the two strangers, but neither said a word. Mika's heart was beating rapidly, and she knew that if he couldn't see her embarrassment in her aura, he would certainly be able to hear it from her heart.

He bent cautiously and picked up her shoes and her book from the ground, then straightened. They were each held loosely between his fingers; Mika was quick to grab all three so that he wouldn't have to pick them up again if they fell.

"Thank you."

Mika grinned. "No, thank you."

He nodded, but said nothing. Mika stared at him for a moment before looking away. She closed her eyes and clung to his neck, allowing herself to get used to the silence, and to being in some strange guy's arms. It felt nice, she had to admit.

And that was how Ogata Mika met 'The Aura Guy.'

* * *

**a/n **okay, so...what did you think? Did you like it? I know I made some changes, but none were too drastic. I mean, it's longer, and it's more detailed, but it basically has the same content...and then some. So please, tell me what you think. I, personally, find it much MUCH better, but my friend bri usually finds that when I re-write stuff it is too stiff, and I don't make it fun anymore. She also thinks most of the newer stuff I write is stiff...not that she really reads any of my stories. Basically just this one, Rose Petals and Thorn Bushes, and my TMM one...

But yeah! I love feedback, so please, tell me what you think!

And remember--I am in the process of rewriting this story. I am going to write chapter seven next. AFTER THAT, I am going to rewrite Chapter Two, Chapter Three...et cetera, et cetera.

Love you guys!  
xox

StEpPiNg StOnEs


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n okay so thank you animeboy-12 for the review!  
I hope you like this chapter!  
and I hope everyone else who bother's to read my weird stuff  
does as well.  
I really have nothing to say  
Said it all in the first chapter  
youch  
I better think of something soon.  
ENJOY!  
_Disclaimer-I know this one is becoming overused, but it's just common sense people! If I owned Hana Kimi, would I REALLY be writing a fanfic!_ **

**X **

**X **

"...yup. You're ankle is definitely sprained..." Dr Umeda moved his hand away from Mika's ankle, causing her to twitch, and began wrapping up her cut hand up.

"Oh I know. My school doctor told me two days ago. I just haven't done anything about it. Been too busy." She grinned uneasily at him, and then ducked her head down. The aura guy was still standing there silently, his expression unchanged, holding Mika's book in his hands.

"How did it happen?" the doctor asked, releasing his patient's hand and pushing off the ground with his feet so he spun over to his desk where he began filing through the mess of papers on his desk.

Mika knitted her brows together in concentration, barely lifting her gaze up. "Well," she began uncertainly. "I think it was from playing soccer. I did have the ball a lot, and that team wasn't exactly easy going. One tripped me-and she had big feet. Yes, it must have been that..." her voice trailed off.

_I hate sports for this very reason. I always get hurt, _Mika thought bitterly, and rubbed her bandaged hand.

"And how did you scrape your hand?" Dr. Umeda's voice was slow, and he glanced over the rim of his glasses at her.

Mika blushed. "I was chasing a piece of paper...from my book..." she mumbled and glanced sideways at the boy. He smiled a little, which caused the girl to inwardly scowl. Was he **judging **her? He had no right to do that. So what if Mika had risked damaging her ankle even more for a piece of paper? That book was precious to her, as were all books. She had to keep them safe.

The doctor sighed and wheeled back over to Mika. "Keep of this foot as much as possible until I give further notice. I expect you to come _here_, not to your school doctor or the hospital, once a week. Understood?"

Mika nodded timidly. ' Yes Dr. Umeda."

"Good. Now you may go."

"Thank you." She pushed herself up off of the chair, holding her left leg up off of the ground and hopping towards the door. She looked ridiculous, she knew it, and she knew the doctor and the other guy were laughing silently to themselves-or she assumed. She pressed her palm against the wall, keeping her balance as she hopped around to face them, suddenly feeling like she had known them both for a very long time(especially the aura guy. That walk over to the school's medical center seemed to take _years.)_

"I'm sorry but, I cannot use this leg. If either of you would like to assist me in getting out of this place, it would be much appreciated. But, if you aren't going to help me, I'd prefer it if you didn't laugh at me," she said heatedly, looking back and forth between the two who stared at her, unmoved, until her face went from angry to pleading. "Please? I won't be able to make it _all the way _back to my school on one foot."

Dr. Umeda turned to the other male in the room. "You do it. I have business to attend to."

He sat back in his chair and faced his paperwork. The aura guy walked up to Mika silently and put her arm over his shoulders, and manuerved his arm to wrap around her waist, letting her full body weight (which wasn't a lot) fall on him. It wasn't terribly comfortably but, considering how weird it was when he carried her bridal style, this was much preferred. By both of them.

He lead her down the halls, ignoring the world whistles and shout outs directed at him, some even to Mika.

"Whoa! Daiki's got himself a _girlfriend!_"

"Are you sure you want to be with **him?**"

"Hey pretty girl! What's your name?"

Things like this were being called about as people watched as the aura guy and Maki made their way through the school. Maki opened her mouth to tell them her name, and then insist they stopped the cat-calling, but her companion turned his head and whispered in her ear, his voice low. "Don't answer," he said, then turned forward again. Maki's jaw tightened shut, and she dropped her head to face the floor until they reached outside.

"Well. Thank you for taking me this far. I'm sure I'll find another way to get the rest of the way back..." Maki tried to untangle herself from all of the arms. But, soon gave up with an exasperated sigh, her cheeks puffing out. She leaned harder against him; he easily supported her and carried her to a spot near the front gates, where a banner stuck on a pole stuck out of the ground, and there was a table and a chair.

He gently sat her down on the chair. She tried to push herself back up, curious about what the banner said, and figuring it was probably the very pole she smacked her head into a little bit earlier. But the boy was strangely strict (**a/n really, I think I'm making him ooc. sorry I'm trying okay? He won't be ooc all the time, if he even is now)** and wouldn't allow her to move.

"What does the banner say?" Mika asked, leaning forward so her elbows dug into her knees, and she held her head in her hands, staring at him expectantly. He moved in front of the pole for a moment, and then stepped back out.

" '_Your Pictures With Ghosts. Also familiars, demons, guardian spirits, etc. Cheap' _"

"Is this your stand?" Maki asked, looking around. A little bit off other people had set up stands. They all seemed to be busier than the stand the aura guy had taken her to and she was now resting at

He nodded.

Mika stared blankly at did him. "You don't even know what your own banner says?" He shrugged. She shook her head. "Never mind that. Can I get my picture taken? I want to see what ghosts and spirits are hanging around me" She grinned brightly, and didn't even notice the light blush that spread across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

"Alright." He picked up the camera and held it up to his face, getting a good distance away from the injured girl and pressing down the button. She smiled happily until after the blinding flash went off, and then her face went into raw anticipation. And some excitement was in there as well.

The black haired teen walked back to her, holding the Polaroid shot in his hands until he dropped it and her book on her lap. She snatched the picture up and stared at it, watching as the darkness faded and the picture became clear. She smiled. "Look at all those ghosts! And there's a guardian angel! Oh this is so cool! Thanks ermm...aura guy." She grinned at him and gently stuck the picture in her coin purse before pulling out 200 Yen. "Here. Thank you."

He nodded and pocketed the money, his face going back to being expressionless.

"Can I take your picture?"

The guy hesitated for a moment, probably contemplating whether or not he could trust her. Then he nodded, and handed her the camera. The fumbled with it for a moment, and then held it up to her light eyes, focusing in on the unreadable teen. He didn't change his expression at all.

"Come on! Smile! At least a little bit..." She begged, pulling the camera away from her face and making a truly pathetic look appear on her face. She made puppy dog eyes and thrust out her bottom lip, staring at him until a tiny smile appeared on his face, almost invisible. But it was there, and that made Maki happy. She put the camera back in front of her eye and took the picture until he pulled the smile away.

"Here you are!" A proud look came over her face, and she held the Polaroid out in front of her until he walked over and took it, sticking it in his pocket with his money without even looking at it. Maki frowned, furrowing her eyebrows together.

"Aren't you going to look at it?" she asked, surprised at how familiar she was already acting around him.

He stared at her. She sighed, rolling her eyes and pushed herself up, hobbling towards him.

"At least look let **me** look at it!"

He pulled it out and handed it to the thin, smiling girl in front of him. Sitting back down in the chair, she looked at it and smiled, obviously pleased with her work. "I could be a photographer," she joked, and pulled a pen out of her pocket. She held it tight and her hand hovered over the back of the picture.

"You can keep it," he said quickly.

Mika smiled. "Really? Oh thank you!" She quickly wrote on the back of it, and then stuck it in her purse. Then, she grabbed the other photo out and, in a neat script. _Maki_.

"Here. You can have this than." Maki held it out and he grabbed it, holding it for a moment before sticking it in his pocket with his money.

"C'mon. I'll take you back to your school. St. Blossom's?" Maki nodded and threw her pen in her coin purse and zipped it up. The aura guy helped her up and they positioned themselves the way they had when he carried her over there. They walked silently along the sidewalk as he lead her to her school.

They stopped at the St. Blossom campus. Mika let go of her grip on him, and fell against a tree. "Thank you," she

He nodded. Mika flashed a quick smile.

"Okay. So...bye" She waved and then turned around, starting to make her way towards the school. When she turned back around, he was gone. She smiled faintly, and then shrugged, pulling open the school's entrance doors.

"Darn. I didn't even learn his name."

**a/n okay so  
there's the second chapter  
yay  
thanks again to animeboy-12  
yay  
sorry if anyone was ooc  
but, again  
I'm trying  
so, review or whatever. I hope you  
look for  
the next chapter :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**a/n I'm back with chapitre tres!  
can I get an encore  
do ya want more?  
I'd like to thank my friend for teaching that song to me  
now it's stuck in my head and I must kill her  
DARN IT!  
SHE'S THE ONE WHO PRESSURES ME TO  
WRITE THE ENXT CHAPTER OF MY STORIES!  
(smiles sweetly)  
so thank her  
if you like my story at all  
that is  
and I thank animeboy-12  
once again  
for reviewing. You are very nice anime boy.  
now ENJOY!  
oh and, after I started writing this chapter, I realized St. Blossom  
isn't a boarding school  
because I remembered what they said when  
Julia moved to Japan  
but w/e. I'm Mikang it a boarding school**

**X**

**X**

Mika, of course, followed Dr. Umeda's instructions. One day for already 2 weeks, after classes were finished for the day, she's go to Osaka High with the held of Rio. Yes, the doctor's sister. And yes, Mika knew that for a long time. And every time, she'd look around for 'The Aura Guy', as she liked to call him, but she never saw him.

The students whistled both times Rio and Mika made their way through the hall. Especially the time they wore their uniforms. Rio punched a good number of them for that.

Mika sat on her bed, left leg propped up on numerous pillows, the other bent inward, Indian style without the other half. Her homework for the night was finished, and she was staring at the picture she took two weeks ago, at the Osaka High School Festival. She flipped it over in her hand, tearing her eyes away from the image of the boy she had been searching for the two other times she went to the school, and stared at her neat script on the back.

"Are you still staring at that picture, Mika?" Rio asked, her head appearing, upside down, out of nowhere. Mika jumped a little, her head hitting the top bunk. She scowled as her best friend and roommate laughed. "You know, I could figure out his name for you, if you'd like. My brother does work at the school..."

Mika snorted and put the picture back in her shoe box, and then shoved it underneath her bunk again. "No, no. Don't be ridiculous Rio. I'm not a stalker or anything. And I'm not desperate. Or in love!" She silenced her friend twice by saying the words she was going to say. It was Rio's turn to scowl.

"Then why do you keep looking at his photo? Every day I see you take that thing out. And both times we went to Osaka, you were craning your neck like you were looking for something-and I assume you'll do the same this week when we go to see my brother again."

Mika blushed. "I do not..." she mumbled.

Rio laughed again.

"Whatever you say Mika..." She pulled her head back onto her bunk, and Mika could hear her fidgeting about until she got comfortable. "Turn of the lights soon, hm? I need to get up early to talk to Julia."

"Okay. Just...hang on a minute." Mika started to reach under the bed to pull the shoe box out again.

"Mika!" Rio said warningly. "Do not pull out that shoebox!"

Mika smiled guiltily to herself and slowly pulled her hand away from the edge of her bed. Then, swinging her legs over the side, she walked over to the door, almost tripping over her long, periwinkle pajama pants, **(a/n there's a tongue twister for you)** and switched off the lights, then felt her way back to the bunks, and fell asleep.

**X**

**X**

Early the next morning, Mika awoke to the sounds of Rio typing noisily on the computer, talking to Julia, who was back from school for the day already. Mika groaned, and turned over to face the wall, in the hopes that she could fall back asleep. Rio wasn't ready for school yet, it had to still be early.

"Mika-get up. It's 7:30..." Rio said, still typing at rapid pace. Mika groaned and threw the warm covers off of her body, instantly shivering. No matter the season or temperature out side, in the morning, and at night, Mika was very cold. She carefully brought her legs over the side of her bed, and Rio came to help her to the bathroom, where her uniform was hung up on the back of the door.

"Take a bath and get dressed. If you need any help...just ask, okay?" An uncomfortable expression fleeted across her face. Mika nodded in a way that said she'd manage without her friend's help. Rio nodded back and then went back to the computer to finish talking to her friend in America.

Mika yawned, staring into the mirror. Purple lines had formed under her dusty brown eyes. She had slept horribly last night, tossing and turned, kicking her leg against the wall. The pain that caused shot up her leg and spread throughout her entire body, and had left her awake for an hour as she silently screamed, not wanting to wake Rio, and unable to move.

She ran her fingers through her messy brown hair, which stuck up at all ends, her teeth chattering. Shaking her head at her appearance, she turned on the hot water and filled the tub almost completely before undressing and lying down in the water. She closed her eyes, relaxing. It was so comfortable...

There was a knock on the door-loud and demanding. Mika's eyes shot open. She looked at the door. It opened, and Rio stuck her head through the crack. "Mika? Are you alive? You've been in there for over an hour and a half. You missed breakfast, and I'm about to miss my first class."

Mika mumbled under her breath, and then turned her attention to her tight-eyed friend. "Umm...I'll be...right out." she said hurriedly.

"Mika...do you want me to just tell the teachers you're sick?"

Mika once again turned her attention to Rio. She bit her lip, then let out a sigh. "All right. Thank you..."

Rio nodded and turned her head in the direction she believed her friend to be in. "Not a problem." She smiled at the wall, and then disappeared back into the Main Dorm, closing the bathroom behind her. Mika, relieved, sank back down into the warm water for a minute or so, and then finished bathing, changed back into her pajamas, and went back to bed.

**X**

**X**

Mika spent the whole day in bed, getting up once, maybe twice to go to the bathroom. She didn't eat-she wasn't hungry. She didn't drink-she wasn't thirsty. She just slept and slept, and when she wasn't doing that, she read until her eyes were tired, and she needed to go back to sleep.

But when the door opened, she was doing neither. She had stopped reading half an hour ago, and was trying so hard to fall asleep. Her eyes were burning, and needed to rest. But she couldn't sleep. Thinking it was the light coming in from the window, so she turned and faced the wall. But it didn't help. If anything, it made it harder. It was so uncomfortable.'

"Mika! Are you awake?" Rio's voice broke through the silence. Why did she sound...desperate?

"Yes!" The word came out like an exasperated grunt, and she turned back around so she could face her roommate. With her was their other friend, Yuri. She smiled and waved at Mika, who sat up and waved back.

"Good. We came by at lunch to bring you food but...you were asleep. So we left it in the fridge..." Rio had walked over to the mini fridge while talking, and opened it. She looked up over the door, a blank expression with her. Mika grimaced at the face.

"You haven't touched anything!" Yuri exclaimed, kneeling down beside Rio, then looking over at Mika, her blue eyes wide in surprise. In turn, Mika stared blankly at her. It wasn't really all that surprising. Mika was a very picky eater, and was only ravenously hungry one time a day-and that was around midnight. She barely ate any other time.

But with her 'midnight snack' had taken a shocking notch up-it was more like a 'midnight 3 course meal'.

"Okay. Not so surprising..." Yuri's face fell and she looked back into the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle, tossed it at her bedded- friend, and then grabbed another for herself. Rio stood, and closed the door. She turned to Yuri and whispered something. She shrugged, then quickly nodded. Then the two turned to Mika.

"Come on! Time to visit my dear brother!" Rio smiled-or more like smirked. Mika groaned, burying her face in her hands.

" Rio! Why today?"

Rio raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't you want to get it out of the way?"

Mika glared. "I'll get dressed..." she gave in. Yuri grabbed her arm from the bed, and then, Mikang it to the fridge, passed her over to Rio, who dropped her off at the bathroom, handing her the clothes she pulled out of the dresser while waiting to take Mika. Before closing the bathroom door, the injured one looked at each of them with an indescribable expression.

"I'm not a toddler, I'm not crippled. I can walk to the bathroom my self!" And then she closed the door.

While changing she could hear Yuri and Rio laughing.

Mika came out the bathroom again, in a completely better mood. "Let's go!" she said chirpily. Rio and Yuri nodded, and escorted her to Osaka High school for her weekly appointment with the doctor. But when they reached the entrance to the Dorms, a look of Realization hit her face.

"Um...hang on! I'll be right back!" She rushed back inside and, while waiting for her, Mika and Yuri talked animatedly about school and just life in general. Rio came back moments later with a bulging pocket. Her two friends looked inquisitively at her, and in response she just smiled, shaking her head. The three said nothing more until they reached the high school.

It was the usual routine, only times three, since now, a third girl was walking through the half of the all-boy school. They turned into the Medical Center and, unlike the other two times they came, the office was not completely empty. In fact, Dr. Umeda AND a patient were in there. A cute boy on the short side. Not cute, actually. More along the lines of...pretty.

"Mizuki!"

" Rio!"

The boy stood and hugged Rio, who hugged back.

"Hey! You're on time for once!" Rio exclaimed to her brother as she tried to discreetly hand a plastic bag filled with..something to the pretty boy called Mizuki. Mika looked curiously at it, and, Mizuki blushed, stuffing it in his checkered slacks. Was it just Mika or did she see..._tampons_ in there? (**a/n yeah well...they do 'mention them' in the book. without saying the word or anything...)**

Mika's eyes widened, and she turned to Yuri, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Yuri giggled. "What's with you?" she asked, shaking her head, then trying to stifle her giggles with her hand. Then, she sat her down in the seat Mizuki had been in. "So Rio has friends at an all boys' school. It isn't a big deal..." she shrugged.

Okay so **Yuri** hadn't seen it.

_But that doesn't mean anything. Yuri can be pretty oblivious and...it wasn't like she was staring at the back like I was..._Mika thought and smiled at everyone. Even the Mizuki person was looking curiously at her. _Was someone talking to me?_ She looked around at each of them, her mouth now forming the shape of an 'o'. Her eyes finally landing on Dr. Umeda, she grinned sheepishly.

"What was that?"

"Shall we get down to business?"

Mika stared at the gay doctor for a moment; she nodded. Better get this over with.

"Okay! Then I will have to send the others to wander the school. Mizuki, Rio...umm...anyway! Will the three of you please leave?" Rio raspberried her brother and Mizuki and Yuri just waved. But, before they stepped out the door, Rio brought the other two into a **_VERY UNSUSPICIOUS _**circle. Mika couldn't make out what it was, but she could see Yuri and Rio pointing at something, Rio whispering in a very low voice. They all nodded, then said their good-byes again before exiting the medical center.

Dr. Umeda raised his eyebrows, turning to Mika. "Girls..."he muttered, pulling her leg onto his lap delicately.

Mika's eyes grew again. Had her ears deceived her or had he just said..._girls?_ "Excuse me? What?" she asked, taking her leg from his lap and staring at him skeptically. He looked up, grabbed her leg placing it a little more forcefully back on his lap. He stared with his emotionless eyes at Mika.

"Hm?"

"You mumbled 'girls'. What do you mean? Mizuki was part of that and is a boy, right?" Eyebrows raised so high they were likely to fall off, eyes so inquiring they could be an interrogation light, and mouth so twitchy it could be a rabbit's foot, she looked at him, expecting him to answer.

Dr. Umeda blinked. "Of course." He went back to inspecting her ankle. He touched a swollen part-purposefully, it seemed like. She kicked his face. She could be very feisty when she wanted to know something.

Leaning in, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Why did Rio hand _him _a bag full of tampons?" She wasn't about to give up. Again, when she wanted to know something, she dug her claws in so deep she couldn't pull them out until the information had been released. "Come on Umeda!" Mika urged in a deathly whisper.

Hokuto Umeda pulled a cigarette and lighter from his coat pocket. He took a few puffs, and then nodded. Mika was surprised he gave in so easily. Usually it took a lot more to make someone-especially and ADULT-to admit something. Mika shrugged satisfied. That was all she wanted to know, and she wasn't planning on telling anyone-it was obviously a secret, and she wasn't one to spill them. But, apparently, the doctor though she looked the untrustworthy type.

"But you can't tell anyone." Another puff. "She's been doing very well keeping it hush-hush." He squished the end of it in the Ash tray, and then dropped it. "Now shall we continue with your session?"

**a/n okay so...that was the longest and probably most boring chapter****  
****yet**  
**though I'm sure there'll be more out there**  
**but not every chappie can be**  
**EXCITING **  
**Can it?**  
**not the others gave anyone chills or anything**  
**unless you're really...weird**  
**no not really weird just**  
**not like me**  
**okay! anyway! so review or whatever!**  
**The next chapter will pick up her pretty much!**  
**coolio**  
**I know**  
**I so rock...**  
**LATERZ!**


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n I know it's been a long time. but I'm finally back  
with the fourth chapter  
I know you're overjoyed  
I'm back in the mood for Hana Kimi though! (and Naruto  
heh heh heh)  
yeah, now I own up to number twelve  
and I got so hyper  
it was like I was on a sugar-high or something  
yeah, creepy  
I told my friend about how I was and she looked at me like O.O  
so anyway!  
on with the story!  
oh, and I k now I made Mika's last name Honda, but, I'll change that later.**

**_Disclaimer--hm...If I owned Hana Kimi my characters would be in it, okay? and Kayashima would have a bigger role xD  
so would Gilbert, because now I love him, too_**

**X**

**X**

Mika sat stock still in her seat as Dr. Umeda further inspected her ankle. His face was barely two inches above it, and he was constantly adjusting his glasses so that they didn't slide right down the bridge of his nose. He prodded her ankle, twisted it, everything. And he was none too gentle about going around it, either. One time, after being especially forceful about jerking her foot, Mika barely was able to suppress the urge to kick him in the face. He seemed to notice because after that he was much gentler. Also, his face was much farther away.

"So...Doc?" Mika said after so much silence. "What's the..."

But Umeda Hokuto did not let the girl finish. Without even looking up he repelied, "I think you should use it more often. It should heal faster that way."

"But Doc.! I can't play sports like this, they won't let me."

"It'll take longer to heal if you aren't active. Walk around, do jumping jacks, or you could--"

"MIKA!!!"

The door was thrown open, slamming against the wall opposite of it; Umeda, startled, jumped, causing Mika's foot to jerk to the side. The dark-haired girl yelped in pain, and as a reflex, her leg swung upward, narrowly avoiding conflict with the doctor's face. The doctor ended up holding Mika's foot between his hands. On his face a look of shock was frozen on his face.

"Mika, we need you to come with us! Right away!" Rio panted. Mika didn't even have time to reply before she was pulled right off of her chair and onto the ground. Her foot fell to the ground soon after the rest of her did; she bit her lip so hard that tears formed in her brown eyes.

"Sorry, Mika! But we really need to go!" Yuri exclaimed, staring earnestly at the injured one with her bright blue eyes.

"No, no! It's fine! I'm fine!" Mika croaked as Yuri helped her to her feet. As soon as Mika was as sturdy as she could be, and her arm was draped over her friend's shoulder, they hurried towards the clinic door, where Rio still stood. The Umeda girly grabbed Mika's wrist and began to tug her--and Yuri by default--out into the hall.

"Yes, go ahead! You're free to go!" Dr. Umeda irritably called, standing up and walking over to the door. He peered out and watched as his sister and the blue-eyed girl lead his patient down the hall, crowded with the Osaka High boys, most of which were whistling and cat-calling as they passed.

"Oh! And I'll have you know that being _dragged_ isn't considered using your ankle!" The doctor bellowed after Mika. She turned her head over her shoulder, looked around, and grinned. But before she could wave good-bye to the doctor, she disappeared around a corner. Doctor Umeda sighed and turned around, retiring to the chair at his desk.

"Whoa. That girl with the loose hair is HOT," a boy breathed right outside the clinic door.

"That girl is also my sister," Umeda mumbled as he moved paperwork around on his desk; he didn't even bother to turn around to look at the boy. He knew what the reaction would be. It was the same every time. The boy would freeze up with horror stuck on his face, and then would hurry away, pretending they hadn't said anything at all. They were afraid of what the doctor would do if they pursued Rio.

"Always the same..." Doctor Umeda mumbled.

**X**

**X**

"Okay! Can't you two just tell me where we're going?!" Mika whined. They had slowed down, much to her relief. Her arm had nearly been pulled straight out of its socket, and it was difficult running around with her arm over Yuri's shoulders and vice versa.

"No! You'll see!" Rio said; she exchanged a secret glance with Yuri, who just smiled and nodded in return.

_Wow. They're **real** inconspicuous!_ Mika sarcastically thought. Suddenly she felt very much like a rag doll, being fought over by two young girls. She wished the two would just let go of her and let her walk for herself. As she said earlier that day, she wasn't a toddler nor was she a cripple. She was capable of walking around, even if it did hurt to put any amount of pressure on her one ankle. That was how it would heal anyway, wasn't it? That was what the doctor had told her, so it was bound to be true--unless he just wanted to see her suffer... And it made sense, anyway.

" Rio! In here!"

Mizuki suddenly popped out into the hallway, directly in front of their path; Rio nodded and took a turn, leading Mika and Yuri through a doorway. Her grip on Mika's wrist loosened until she no longer held it, and both her and hand and Mika's fell limp at their own side. Mizuki appeared beside Rio, but she looked back at Mika and smiled widely. The way her eyes sparkles...it suggested that she knew something, or that she could see straight through Mika, that she knew her secrets. But before Mika could ask anything, Mizuki turned back around, leaving Mika's question unasked, choking inside her throat.

"Mizuki!!!" A boy with bleached blonde hair shot up from a seat a table nearby.

Mika blinked a couple times. She hadn't realized at first that it was a cafeteria that they had stepped into. But as soon as she figured it out, it was like everyone's' eyes were on her; a blush crept across her face and she ducked her head down so that loose hair would fall over her cheeks. Never again would she wander around an all boys' school. She would go straight to the Doctor's office, and then straight out. And once her sessions were completed...well, she'd probably never again set foot in the accursed school where all the boys could do was wolf whistle as she passed.

"Mika! Come on!"

Mika's head shot up, her brown eyes wide. Rio was impatiently tapping her foot on the cafeteria's tile, hands placed on her hips. She stood a few feet away, and her gaze was sharp. Mika ducked her head down again and hurried over to her best friend's side, Yuri in tow, her curls bouncing.

Mizuki introduced each of the three girls to the boys seated at the table. Mika was thankful just to see two out of the five staring at her friends and herself.

"Rio, Mika, Yuri, this is Nakatsu," Mizuki pointed towards the boy with bleached hair, "Noe," a boy with spiky hair that looked rather like a child, one of the two starers, "Sekime," a taller boy with glasses, the second starer, "and Sano." Even Mizuki's voice was smiling as she said the last boy's name. He was tall with black hair, and, In Mika's opinion, very nice looking.

"It's nice to meet you!" Yuri chirped. Her smile was blinding as she looked around at all of the boys.

"Pleasure," Mika tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked at all of them.

Rio nodded in the direction of each of them before pulling Mizuki aside. Yuri and Mika exchanged curious glances before shrugging and turning back to the boys.

"So, you two go to St. Blossom?" The boy called Sekime asked. He leaned forward onto the table so to get a better look at the two girls.

"Yes we do. Why do you ask?" Yuri replied; she was still smiling. She cocked her head to the side, causing her shoulder-length curls to spill onto her face. Mika could practically _see_ Sekime and Noe melting. Yuri was attractive, there was no getting around it. Whether you were a boy or a girl, it was obvious. She had this...cute look about her.

"Oh, just curious," Sekime somehow managed to choke out.

Yuri giggled, holding a hand to her mouth in attempt to hide it. This just caused the two boys to melt further; Mika rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Rio and Mizuki. The two were frantically whispering to each other, and even though they were so close to where Mika stood, she couldn't make out a single word of what they were saying. But Mika, not being an eavesdropper, didn't try getting any closer; she didn't strain her ears either.

Mika saw Mizuki's eyes flicker towards the cafeteria door once it creaked open. For a moment her eyebrows were furrowed, but then her face relaxed and she smiled. "There he is! I told you he'd be coming soon!" Mizuki whispered. It was the first bit of the conversation Mika had managed to hear, and it made her curious. Who was there? What were they talking about?

_It's none of my business_, she told herself. But curiosity won over. She turned her head slightly, just enough so that she could see the door, where Rio and Mizuki were eagerly looking. What she saw made her freeze up. Well, all but her heart, which was racing at a ridiculous rate. Why was she so excited--and nervous--about seeing the guy? It was someone she had just met but...still.

Mika jerked her head away from the door; her eyes fell on Yuri. The girl was animatedly speaking with the four boys at the table. Nakatsu and Sano didn't get much chance to say anything--if they even wanted to--because Noe and Sekime were hogging her attention. At every other thing they said, she laughed. It was a light, tinkling laugh that gave the image of an innocent little child.

"Yuri--" Mika gently tugged at her friend's sleeve with one of her delicate hands.

Yuri whirled around, her shoulder-length, light brown curls whipping her face. She hastily brushed it away as she stared, wide eyed, eyebrows raised, at Mika, who looked very anxious. And for good reason--she was.

"Hai?" But then Yuri's eye fell on the boy who made Mika's heart thud against her chest. She smiled brightly and jumped up and down on the balls of her feet as she clapped her hands together. "Oh, he's here! Dear, he's even better looking in person!" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she went on about the aura-boy. Her bright blue eyes moved up and down over his body; she smiled.

Mika didn't dare turn around, not until Rio said her name and tugged at her sleeve.

The aura boy stood beside Mizuki, very much towering over her. He curiously looked down at her, and then back up.

"Kayashima, I would like you to meet my friends. This is Umeda Rio, back there with the curls is Enkai Yuri, and this...this is Sakana Mika."

The aura-dude nodded. "We've met," he said, regarding Mika.

"Yeah, we have." Mika glared at Rio, who knew perfectly well that she had met him before. "But, I don't believe I ever caught your name at the festival. What is it?" Mika cocked her head to the side, brushing her dark brown locks out of her light brown eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mizuki and Rio slip away to join Yuri and the boys at the table; Mika inwardly cursed them for leaving her in this awkward predicament, but outwardly she remained perfectly calm and still as she waited for the boy to reply.

"Taiki Kayashima," he said; his voice was so quiet, so serene, so...mysterious. But most of all, Mika found it soothing.

Mika smiled and gave a short nod. She opened her mouth to say something, but found that no words were forming on her tongue. Her mind was even blank. She clamped her mouth shut and stared stupidly around, hoping to find something of interest to speak about so as to avoid any awkwardness. Kayashima didn't mind the silence, but he noticed how anxious the girl before him was, so he quickly though of something to say, to break the ice.

Neither though of walking over to join the others.

Rio, Yuri, and Mizuki all found that very amusing; the other four cast them curious glances as they stifled their laughter using their fists.

"How's your ankle?" Kayashima gently inquired, his violet eyes staring down at her left foot. The ankle was still swollen enough so that it could be seen through the ace bandage wrapped tightly around her ankle. The swelling didn't at all help the already bulky look she had going there, due to the stockings she had to wear over the bandages. Kayashima stared for a minute longer, blinked, and raised his head again. His eyes caught Mika's and held the gaze.

"Oh, it's fine. Doesn't hurt as much as it once did." _I won't mention that it still hurts a **lot** though..._ Mika silently added to herself. She tugged at a strand of her dark brown hair uneasily as she just stood there, silent once more.

"That's good to hear," Kayashima said; his bangs fell away from the one eye that they covered as he titled his head to the side. Even though he didn't knit his eyebrows together, he still had a look on his face that suggested that he was concentrating. And the way he was eyeing Mika was somewhat skeptical, but also curious. It was very different from the way all the other boys had eyed her while she was in the school, and it made Mika relax.

Silence. Neither Mika nor Kayashima had shifted positions. The girl began to wonder why the aura-boy was staring so keenly at her. But he didn't say anything more, and it took Mika a lot of swallowing to get the nerve to ask him. She didn't understand why it was so difficult to speak to him. It was so very unlike her usual personality. She was **not** a shy person, not at all. Not usually. Not around people like Rio, Yuri, or the girls at her school. Not even around the boys who always watched her go through the halls there at Osaka High. If Rio hadn't told her to just ignore all of them, she'd have snapped at them long ago.

"What color is my aura?" she squeaked. The loose strand of hair that hung in her eye she brushed away subconsciously, never breaking eye-contact with Kayashima. Anyone watching across the room would have thought they were having a staring contest of sorts.

Kayashima remained quiet for a moment before he simply answered, "Blue."

"What does that mean?" Again she brushed away that one stubborn bit of hair that just refused to stay out of her face.

"Calm," he replied.

Mika smiled and gave a short nodded. It didn't even occur to her that there might be more that Kayashima was purposefully leaving out. Why would she even think that? He had no reason to lie to her, to not tell her what color her aura was. But the truth was that he did leave something out, and he did have a reason. There had been two colors in her aura, something that Kayashima didn't often see. One was pink--embarrassment. He didn't understand why she was feeling that way, and he was afraid that if he mentioned it she would become anxious again, or even more embarrassed.

"Should we go join the others?" Mika asked when she found there was nothing else she could possibly think of to say to him alone; the aura-boy shrugged and the both of them took the few steps over to the table where their friends all sat together. Mika slid in next to Rio, who was speaking to Mizuki, of course. The two seemed to be very good friends, causing Mika to wonder how long they had known each other. Surely not too long, or else Mika and Yuri would have known about "him."

"So Noe, you're into designing clothes, huh?"

The boy who looked remarkably like a child nodded his head; Yuri smiled.

"I'd love to see some of your work some time!"

Yuri's genuine enthusiasm caused the boy, Noe, to deeply blush. Taking advantage of the silence, Sekime swooped in with some conversation, but Mika stopped listening. She turned her attention over to Rio and Mizuki again, and then towards Sano. The black-haired boy was staring at a pile of sweets on his tray with intense distaste. He shoved it to the side, towards the one called Nakatsu, and then stood.

"I'm going to head back to the dorms," he mumbled, thrusting his hands deep into the pockets of his pants.

"Okay. Bye Sano!" Mizuki practically chirped, waving good-bye to the tall boy.

Sano saying that made Mika wonder what time it was. She quickly checked her watch before poking Rio's shoulder. The Umeda held a finger up to Mizuki and turned her head over her shoulder, her long hair hitting the "boy" beside her in the face. "What is it?" she asked.

"We should probably get going," Mika whispered.

Rio heaved a sigh. "I guess you're right. Just hold on a minute..." She glumly turned back towards Mizuki and was about to open her mouth to say she had to leave, but Mika stopped her.

"Never mind. You stay here and talk some more with Mizuki and whomever you like. I'll go back by myself."

"But you're ankle--" Rio argued.

Mika shook her head. "Doc said I should probably use it. That way it'll heal quicker. Well, that's what he said, and I have every reason to believe him unless he's out to get me."

"Wouldn't put it past him," Rio mumbled. Then louder, she asked, "Are you sure?"

Mika nodded. "Of course I am! Just meet me back at the dorms, alright? Otherwise it will get lonely. And you're going to want to talk to your American friend, no doubt."

Rio's face brightened. "You're right!" But she didn't reconsider coming home, not that Mika was trying to make her. The two briefly hugged and then the injured got up. Walking around to the other side of the table, she poked Yuri's shoulder blade. The blue-eyed girl turned around, eyebrows raised. Mika could tell that her attention was still mainly on Sekime and Noe, who she had already taken a liking to.

"Do you want to stay here and talk some more or will you go back with me?"

Yuri frowned and turned back towards Sekime and Noe. "Guys, I'm sorry. I have to get back to school with Mika. But it was great talking to you." She paused, grabbed a napkin from the center of the table, and took a pen from her pocket. "Call me at this number and we can get together sometime. Remember Noe--I want to see something you've made, okay?" Yuri raised her eyebrows expectantly at the boy. He beamed and nodded his head.

"Good. Now I have to go. Bye!"

"Bye Yuri! It was great talking to you!" Sekime and Noe sing-sang. Mika glanced over at them; both were practically drooling.

"Bye Noe! See ya Sekime! It was great meeting the rest of you..."Yuri stopped, looked at Mika, and then back at the table. "Except I never introduced myself to the picture-boy!" The blue-eyed girl took the few steps back towards the table and stared at Kayashima until he turned around. His face was still as unreadable as it always was, which surprised Yuri to say the least. But she quickly hid that with a shining smile.

"I'm Enkai Yuri," Yuri introduced herself, unaware that Rio had done that for her earlier.

Kayashima nodded his head. "Taiki Kayashima." A fleeting smile passed over his face as he shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you! Sadly, I must go now! Bye again all of you!"

Mika's eye caught Kayashima's as she began to walk off. The corners of her mouth twitched upward into a smile as she gave a small wave and then allowed herself to be dragged off by Yuri, who was still waving good-bye to all of the others.

"We'll see you again soon!" Yuri called as they stepped out into the hall, loud enough for Mika and herself. As soon as they were away from the door, the sound of chairs scraping tile was heard, and then the pounding of footsteps as the boys in the cafeteria raced to go talk to Mizuki, Nakatsu, Noe, Sekime, and Kayashima. They were all unaware that Rio was still there since all they had seen were girls exiting.

"Quick, look around the doorway," Yuri whispered; Mika nodded and stuck her head around the doorway, her dark hair covering her face so that no boys could spot her. As both she and Yuri had suspected, half of the people who had been seated in the cafeteria were crowded around the table they were sitting at. Most were shouting questions at them, asking things like their names and all. After all, they didn't see girls often. Mika couldn't see Rio through the mass of boys, but she assumed that the Umeda girl was scowling and scrunching herself into a ball to avoid the boys surrounding her.

"They're crowding?" Yuri whispered, leaning close to her friend's ear; Mika nodded as she turned around. Yuri smirked. "Just as I thought. You know, I bet they're all wondering about _you_ Mika."

Mika snorted. "Oh yeah right. Staring at plain old me when gorgeous you is right there? Fat chance."

Yuri playfully slapped Mika's upper-arm. "No, I'm serious! I'm a girl and I thought you looked totally pretty standing there talking to Kayashima with your hair all loose and spilling down your back. Also, I saw several guys staring at you with a pool of drool on the tables under them, so don't even _try_ to tell me that you are unattractive. And as for me being **gorgeous...**Look at Sano, and then try telling me that."

"Yuri...Sano's a _guy_..."

"Not the point! The point is that there are people SO much prettier than I am. You and Rio being two of them. Probably the only two, actually," Yuri joked. Her nose scrunched up as she giggled at her own joke; Mika rolled her eyes.

"Don't even try to argue, okay?" Yuri said, grabbing Mika's arm and draping it over her shoulders once she noticed that the girl was struggling.

Mika tightened her lips, but said no more, no matter how much she disagreed with her friends. Together, the two rounded a corner. As it was getting later, the halls of the school were becoming barren. However, that didn't mean they were completely empty. Plenty of other people still stood around. Taking a deep breath, Yuri and Mika started to walk faster, hoping to avoid them all, go by unnoticed.

"Hey, where's your friend? I was hoping she'd come by again..." One boy commented. That was enough for Yuri and Mika. They fled, running wildly through the halls, despite Mika's limping. It was a silent agreement the two had made as soon as they took that step around the corner. They went by the clinic just as Dr. Umeda was stepping through, closing the door behind him.

He looked after the two girls as they fled from the boys of Osaka High. "Now _that's_ more like what I was talking about!" He shouted after them; Mika stumbled and Yuri just barely caught her dark-haired friend. "Yeah, just try to be careful!"

**X**

**X**

**A/N and there we have it!  
what did you all think?  
yeah  
I don't know what the different colored auras mean  
really  
so I pretend :)  
but was this chapter okay?  
I know it might have been a bit boring  
but I hope to be updating a lot  
I'm in a Hana Kimi mood,  
most definitely!  
well, Naruto as well.  
but I bet most of you aren't concerned with that, are you xD  
so  
please drop a review  
I'd really appreciate it  
and I'll try to update  
Really soon.**

**--StEpPiNg StOnEs**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n Guess who's back  
back back  
back again 'gain' gain  
Guess who's back back back  
Tell a friend, friend  
friend  
what song is that again  
no doubt one I've never listened to  
so how did you all like  
the last chapter?  
are you all up for this one?  
YAY!!  
enjoy, kayz?**

**_Disclaimer--If I owned Hana Kimi Umeda wouldn't be gay. He'd at least by bi ;P_ **

**X **

**X **

How long had it been? Only four days? It felt like an eternity. Mika sat up in her bed, narrowly avoiding hitting her head on the top bunk in which Rio was still sleeping soundly. Mika was surprised about this. Usually Rio woke up at the crack of dawn so that she could talk to her American friend, Julia, over the internet. Well, she was surprised until she spotted the blinking red of her digital clock: 4:30 a.m.

"Ugh. Not again!" Mika groaned and threw herself back down on her bed, face buried into her pillow. The past two nights she had woken up early, for reasons unknown. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get back to sleep. This time, she didn't even bother. Instead, she just hopped over to the bookcase and grabbed a paperback off the shelf. Without checking to see what it was, she hurried back to her bed and lay down to start reading.

Up ahead, Rio mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over. Mika enviously stared at the top bunk. Lucky Rio. Mika almost forgot what it was like to sleep properly. The worst part was she didn't know why she kept waking suddenly. Her sleeps were dreamless, and her ankle wasn't even hurting her enough to make her wince. Yet for three days now, she was waking up suddenly.

Mika put the unopened book down by her side and rubbed her eyes with balled fists.

"Why does this keep happening?" she groaned. And suddenly, she knew what Rio would say if she knew about this, which she didn't--Mika wasn't planning on telling her either.

_'You're probably missing Kayashima.'_ She would say, which was totally ridiculous and untrue. She didn't miss the aura-boy at all, and there was no way she was thinking about him in her sleep...was there?

Sighing, Mika leaned over and reached under her bed. From under it she pulled out a shoe box. Delicately, she lifted the lid and pulled out what was on the very top of a small pile of things--a photo. With her fingers holding onto the edge, she brought the picture closer to her face. Unconsciously, a wide smile spread across her face at the sight of the boy. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image was still there, and she felt a sort of tugging in her chest.

"This is ridiculous. I don't even know him," Mika grumbled and put the photo back in the box. To get her mind off the whole thing she grabbed the book and began to read. She could barely read the words through the darkness, and it didn't help that they were small. That didn't matter to Mika though. She was just happy that it brought her mind away from any thoughts that might involve a certain boy that could read aura.

**X**

**X**

"Hey Mika? Are you okay?" one of Rio's friends, Elica, asked. It was lunch time, and Mika was practically falling asleep in her food. The lack of sleep over the past couple of days was catching up with her.

She yawned widely and brushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. She looked over at Elica and gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah, of course I'm fine! Just tired, you know!"

Elica cocked her head to the side before nodding and turning towards another of Rio's friends, Yumemi to continue their conversation. Mika yawned yet again and began picking at her food. Her head was held up by her hand, causing her bangs to stick up. Yuri giggled when seeing this, but soon ceased upon spotting the purple bags under her best friend's eyes. Frowning, she placed a hand on Mika's shoulder.

"What's up, Mika? You've been so tired the last couple of days..."

Mika just shook her head. "It's nothing. The work load is just getting to me. But that's what I get for taking so many classes!" She gave an unconvincing laugh that made everyone at the table turn and stare suspiciously at her. Of course, that only included Yumemi, Elica, Yuri, and Rio, but Mika still felt like she was shrinking under their heavy gazes. Without saying anything more, she swung her legs over the bench and stood, grabbing her food tray.

"I'm going to head over to my next class. See you all later..."

Mika dropped off her tray at the nearest garbage can and then slowly walked out of the cafeteria. The sound of her ballet-flats hitting the sparkling white towel bounced all the way back to her table, where her friends were all still watching her. Most were just concern3ed, but Rio was suspicious. What wasn't she telling her?

"This is going to bug me," the Umeda grumbled, her eyes never leaving the figure of Mika until she had long pushed past the double doors and disappeared into the halls beyond.

"It's probably just as she says it is. Don't get too caught up in it," Yuri advised her suspicious friend; Rio nodded her head in agreement, although she didn't really think that Mika was telling the truth.

**X**

**X**

Mika stared at herself in the mirror with disgust. Purple bags were forming under her light brown eyes. Maybe they all had a reason to be concerned. She looked bad. Worse than it really was. Groaning, she ran a hand through her dark locks. There was nothing she could do about it right then, she needed to get to class. But as soon as she could, she was going to go nap. If things worked out correctly, she wouldn't wake up again until the next morning around seven o'clock.

"Let's see. Just this writing class, and then one other. After that, I'm free." Mika didn't sound as relieved as she should have been. But two periods...it was such a long time. There was no way she'd last that long. She'd probably pass out from exhaustion. Blinking hard, she turned and hurried out of the bathroom to get to her writing class. It was decided. As soon as that class was finished, she'd head back to the dorms and sleep.

_Sleep..._Mika let out a wistful breath as she took a sharp turn down a narrow hallway where there were only two classrooms, one being her writing class. Pausing, she turned the knob and stepped inside. She was early, as expected. Sighing deeply, she took her seat and then rested her head on the desk's cool surface. Her hair spilled over her shoulder and tickled her face. She laughed a little and shut her eyes. Just as she was drifting off into a peaceful sleep, the door opened and slammed again. Startled, she jumped up. There was the teacher, Ki-sensei. Quite unlike usual, he wasn't carrying a stack of books. Instead, all he held was a single sheet of paper. Mika stared curiously at it, trying to guess what it was.

Ki-sensei just gave his student a small smile, a mysterious smile, and then went on continuing organizing his desk.

Not much later the rest of the class piled in. It wasn't many people, really, but the room seemed very packed. Probably because it was such a small classroom.

"Okay everyone! Please take your seats! I want to discuss right away what we will be doing!" The single sheet of paper was in his hand, taunting Mika's tired eyes as they darted back and forth, watching it. The sunlight that shone in through the window made it glitter in an odd way. Mika was curious how such a single piece of paper, boring and white, could look so nice.

_Like snow..._ Mika smiled at the thought. She lifted her head, leaned back in her chair, and paid attention.

"Are you all paying attention? Good! This assignment will be a **_major grade_**! So you're all going to want to do very well on this! I will give you time during class to think of topics that you could possibly write about!" Ki-sensei cleared his throat. "Now about the paper! You will all be writing about a person that you think has an interesting talent, quite like anyone else's. You don't need anything approved--I just want to see how you all write without any boundaries. Now it may be about a friend, relative, teacher, whatever you choose. You could ask them about the talent, or just write about what you know!"

The young man looked around at his students; Mika stared at the paper. What was on it? Was it just about this paper they were supposed to write? Mika sighed and waited for him to continue.

"It can be of any length, but keep in mind as you write it that the longer it is, the better the grade will be! Also, please use good language. I realize that this isn't creative language, so there may not be that much you can do, but please try. Also, this assignment will be due in three weeks. Don't put it off though! Three weeks will be here before you know it! Any questions?" Ki-sensei looked around the room, searching for a raised hand or a puzzled face. There were none.

Ki-sensei looked relieved. "Good! Now get to work!"

**X**

**X**

Mika didn't know how she made it through that class, she really didn't. But somewhere she got through the entire class without fainting in exhaustion. But if she stayed for another class...that wasn't going to happen. So, as planned, she went to the dorms and changed into flannel pants and a t-shirt. She curled up on her bed, eyes relaxed until they were closed.

_Who will I write my paper on...?_ Mika wondered as she slowly drifted off. _I guess I should ask Rio or Yuri or someone..._

Yet somehow, Mika knew that she didn't need to ask anyone. She knew who the paper would be written about. Well, she hoped she'd be able to. Hopefully that wouldn't be too weird. Again, she knew that it wouldn't be. All she would be doing would be writing about his talents. They weren't a secret, were they? He made a stand about getting pictures taken with ghosts...of course it wouldn't be a secret.

"Kayashima..." she whispered, snuggling against the pillow, burying her face into the soft cushion. She squeezed her eyes tighter and tried to empty her mind. But things kept flying in and taking over the calm nothingness of her mind. Mostly thoughts of that day at the Osaka High fair. Memories that had changed her life so much. But soon enough, those memories turned into dreams, and she was sleeping deeply--more deeply than she had even hoped for.

**X**

**X**

**A/N okay, so what did you guys think of the  
chapter?  
yeah, I know it seems  
filler-like  
and I guess it is in a way  
but it has some important things in it  
like the paper  
and how she can't sleep  
I know that doesn't seem important  
but it is  
because of the REASON she's sleepless  
I mean, this is a Kayashima fanfic!  
so anyway!  
please drop a review  
I know I updated fast, huh!  
mostly because my friend's pressuring me  
and I like pleasing her  
that's also why you might not have enjoyed this chapter  
all that much.  
anyway! I'll try to update again  
soon!  
I have big plans for this story!**

**--StEpPiNg StOnEs**


	6. Chapter 6

**a/n hey!  
Aren't you all excited?  
Chapter six is out!  
yay!  
be overjoyed  
please?  
anyway! I thank all reviewers  
Cynthia, thank you SO MUCH!  
I loved your review  
and I was gonna have an interview anyway so  
yeah :)  
now on with the chapter!**

**_Disclaimer--hmm...no creative way this time. I just don't own Hana Kimi.  
Just my characters and ideas_**

**X**

**X**

Rio stared at Mika as she rolled over in her deep sleep. The resting girl's matted dark hair lay strewn over her closed eyes. Rio wondered what her friend was dreaming of to be sleeping so calmly and for so long. Maybe she wasn't even dreaming of anything. Maybe she was just so exhausted that she didn't need to sweet poison of dreams to keep her how she was. Rio sighed and pulled up a seat so she could sit beside Mika's bed. Part of her was telling her to allow the tired girl to remain asleep, but another part was screaming inside Rio's mind, telling her that it had been long enough and Mika needed to wake up and move on with her life.

Slowly the door to Rio and Mika's door creaked open, and Yuri popped her head in. Her jaw length, curly hair fell in her eyes as she looked about. Upon spotting Rio seated besides Mika's bed, she slipped into the dorm through the narrow gap between the door and the wall. She strolled over to the Umeda and placed her hand on the back of the chair. Resting her chin on Rio's head, Yuri said, "So she's still sleeping, eh?"

"Yup. And I don't know whether or not I should wake her up..." Rio sighed

"Yes, that is quite a dilemma..." Yuri paused. "No, not really. I know you're trying to be a good friend, but it's time she wakes up. She's slept more than a day...Yup. It was two days ago, in the afternoon, that we found her laying there."

Rio nodded; Yuri brought her chin off her friend's head and straightened. She took a couple steps towards the bottom bunk where Mika slept and knelt down beside it. Her hand hovered over Mika's shoulder; she looked over her shoulder at Rio, who still sat in the chair, playing with the ends of her long hair. Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"I _should_ wake her, shouldn't I?

Rio looked over at the curly-haired girl. "That's what I was thinking over." Rio heaved a sigh and then nodded. "Wake her up. It isn't healthy to stay asleep for so long, you know..."

Yuri nodded and let her hand drop, gently touching Mika's shoulder. With her other hand, Yuri brushed Mika's hair from her peaceful face. "Mika--" she whispered into the dark-haired girl's exposed ear "Mika it's me--"

"Aura...guy..."

Yuri's blue eyes widened and she looked over at Rio, who merely shrugged. Neither knew who the 'aura guy' was, for Mika had never referred to him as that around them. And of course, neither ever really spoke to the boy, so they hadn't the slightest clue that he could read auras and see ghosts.

"Kaya..." Mika mumbled, and rolled over again.

Rio smiled triumphantly to herself and Yuri's eyes widened further. Kayshima! Mika had barely known him for three weeks! And there she was dreaming about him, mumbling things about him in her sleep. It was rather shocking, especially since it was coming for Mika, a girl who had never thought of boys but anything as fellow human beings, maybe even friends occasionally.

"Jeez...who would have thought that Mika would become so easily attached to a guy. I hope this doesn't happen about every guy she meets from now on. That could cause a problem," Rio mumbled, folding her arms over her chest and pulling her legs up onto the chair with her. Silence swallowed the room. Upon noticing that her hand was still placed on the sleeping Mika's shoulder, Yuri removed it.

And of course, _that_ was when she started.

First Mika turned so that she faced Yuri and Rio. Then slowly, her eyelids lifted, revealing the glazed brown eyes that come from a deep sleep. She blinked a couple of times before her vision focused. Her eyes widened as she stared at Yuri and Rio, who stared right back, and then she shot up in bed.

"Did I say anything! In my sleep, I mean!" Mika inquired, clearly panicked. In fact, she sounded so worried that both Rio and Yuri felt bad telling her the truth. So, without even discussing it, the two shook their heads, point-blank lying to their best friend. A sigh of relief escaped Mika's mouth, and it was obvious on her face as well. She was worried that she had said his name in her sleep, and that they had heard it. After all, she hadn't any clue how long they had been there, nor had she any idea how long ago the dream involving him and where she used his name had been. Time moves awfully fast when you're sleeping.

Silence happily came back into the room, but not for long. Mika brought conversation back, pushing her knotted, dark hair away from her eyes. "So, how long was I asleep? Did the teacher say anything when I missed class?"

"No. The teacher_s_ didn't say anything when you missed your classe_s,_" Yuri unsurely answered

Mika cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? What's with all the plurals? I only had one class at the end of the day..."

Rio cleared her throat and brushed away her long, smooth hair. After clearing her throat, she began, "Mika, dear, you've been sleeping for...almost two days."

Mika's jaw dropped, and she said nothing for quite a while, just sat there in shock. Her eyes darted back and forth between her two best friends, who still sat there watching Mika with cautious expressions. Finally, Mika closed her mouth and swallowed a few times to moisten her dry throat. Blinking then, she asked, "I slept _how_ long?

"Almost two days," Rio repeated.

"How on **earth** did I manage that?!" Mika exclaimed.

"Well, you were exhausted. Seriously, it showed. But...how early were you waking up, and what time were you getting to bed? I mean...It's a good thing that you slept so long, but it actually made Rio and I even more concerned than we already **were** and...you know...yeah. We just want to make sure you're okay, because you're our best friend and--"

"Yuri?"

"Yes, Mika?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh." Yuri blushed a little, ducking her head so that the brown curls fell over her pink-tinged cheeks.

"So, how late were you going to bed. And what time _were_ you getting up?" Rio inquired, repositioning her legs so that one swung just above the ground.

Mika bit her lower lip. Would these two questions lead up to an even bigger one? The one that was making her nervous. She didn't know what they'd say if they knew that she was waking up because of some guy she barely knew. Or at least, that was why she thought she was waking up. She couldn't really know for sure, since there was no way she could prove it. Before just a bit ago, she hadn't dreamt anything about him at all.

"Well...I went to bed at the normal time--" Mika began, her fingers clenching the cream colored sheets of her bed.

"Which is late," Rio interjected, earning herself a glare from Mika; Yuri giggled a little, getting her a glare as well. But Mika cleared her throat and continued with what she was saying, before the interruption.

"And I've been waking up between four and four-thirty a.m., for about three days, I think."

Rio and Yuri nodded there heads, eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought. Yuri looked over at her dark-haired friend, a curious expression still on her face. With her clear blue eyes, she stared at Mika for a moment before bothering to say anything. "If you think about it, that isn't even that early," she commented; her eyes moved over to Rio, questioning, to see if she agreed; Rio shrugged.

"Think about that, and then think about how late she goes to sleep..."

Yuri rolled her eyes up as she bit her tongue. After nearly a minute, she let out a shocked squeak of, "That's only like, five hours of sleep!"

"And for three days..."

Yuri paled, as if it was she who had been losing sleep. With horror-filled eyes, she turned towards Mika, who merely nodded her head, confirming this. Yuri let out a feeble attempt at saying something, but gave up, and sat down at the edge of Mika's bed, beside the owner of it. Mika began to feel irritated by how often silence found its way in the dorm she shared with Rio. These two were her best friends, how could they have nothing to talk about?!

To get away from the stillness, Mika stood and began to limp over towards her dresser, pulling out a few items and then stepping towards the bathroom. "I'm starting to feel gross now that you've told me I've been asleep for so long...I'll be out in a bit. Once I'm out we could..."Mika was at a loss there. What could they do? She didn't really even know what day it was!

"We can shop!" Yuri happily suggested.

Mika shrugged. "Okay, that's fine with me." And then she disappeared into the bathroom.

It was maybe an hour later that she came out of there. Rio and Yuri secretly laughed with each other at the thought that Mika fell back asleep in the tub, since usually it didn't take Mika so long to take a shower, or even a bath. But, they kept the thought between themselves, since they didn't want to embarrass Mika or anything. Plus, if the answer was yes, then that would just add more concern to the mountainous amount that was already inside them.

**X**

**X**

Steam followed Mika as she stepped out of the bathroom. The girl squeezed a mass of her wet hair with a towel and looked at Rio, and then at Yuri. Both had changed out of uniforms, which they had both been wearing prior to Mika's shower, and were lounging about.

"So, are you two ready?" Mika inquired as she zipped up her thin sweatshirt.

Yuri looked over the top of her magazine at her wet-headed friend and frowned. Even though her mouth didn't show, you could see it in her eyes. "You know, there's such a thing as a hair-dryer..." she said, disapproval dripping from every syllable. Mika looked down at her hair, which looked black in its wet form, and frowned herself. What was wrong with damp hair? Mika actually liked it when it was wet. Also, she didn't care for hair dryers. They burned her ears.

"Yes, I am aware of that," Mika said. "Not everyone has hair as short as yours though. It takes too long."

"And not everyone cares as much as you either," Rio muttered, her eyes flickering back and forth as the words on the page of her book were quickly absorbed into her mind.

Yuri scowled, although that didn't exactly last long. Shrugging, she placed her magazine on her lap and said, "That's true!" And she grinned. Mika smiled as she plopped down on her bed, leaning backwards so that her head almost brushed against the plaster wall.

"So about shopping...where did you have in mind?" Yuri asked, dropping down on the bed to Mika's left.

Rio took the side on Mika's right as the wet-haired girl replied with a startled, "_You_ suggested shopping! I thought maybe you had some place in mind!"

A moment passed as Yuri processed what Mika said; then she grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. Rio rolled her eyes at her friend's slowness, but made no comment. Mika stared up at her blue-eyed friend and laughed lightly. That was Yuri for you...

"I know! We could take a bus into town, and then just walk around! That would be fun, wouldn't it?!" Yuri exclaimed, shooting up to her feet so fast that she almost hit her head on the top bunk.

Rio and Mika exchanged an unsure glance, but nodded anyway.

"I could deal with that..." Mika replied, twirling a strand of hair around her finger; she stared absently at the bunk bed which was above her. Rio looked over at Mika curiously, and nodded.

"When should we leave?" the Umeda inquired, eyes flickering towards Yuri who was beaming with excitement.

"Now! What time is better than the present? The answer: NONE!!" Yuri grabbed Mika's wrist and dragged her off the bed so that she landed with a resounding _thump_ on her dormitory floor. Mika winced as she lifted herself to her feet, not even scolding Yuri for doing that.

Rio cocked an eyebrow, but again bit back the comment on her tongue. Usually Mika would have at least made some sort of comment about such an action, like she Yuri should calm down, it's just shopping. But Mika just frowned a little as she headed towards the door.

Yuri ran ahead to get it, and then silently the three friends made their way out to the front of the school. From there they headed to a bus station, money jingling in their pockets. Each paid their own fare and took some of the free seats in the front, all squeezing onto two seats in between two larger people.

**X**

**X**

"Oh! Let's go there! No, there! That place looks nice, too!"

Rio and Mika snickered as they watched Yuri dancing around the side-walk, peering through windows of stores, shielding her eyes from the sun using her hands. They had been doing this for almost an hour, and Yuri still hadn't decided where she wanted to go.

"Is your ankle okay? I mean we've been doing a lot of walking..." Rio whispered, leaning in towards Mika's ear; Mika nodded.

"Yeah, it's fine. Dr. Umeda said I should get some use out of it, anyway, and this is getting a use out of it..."

Rio nodded slowly and looked ahead again. Yuri was staring at the two of them a couple yards ahead, impatiently tapping her foot on the pavement. She was holding open the door to a store--she had decided where to go first. Rio and Mika sped up and turned into the store.

It was small, but lined with clothing. Yuri immediately tackled a shelf, her eager hands stroking the soft fabric of a sweater. The curly-top only got so excited about certain things; sadly, shopping was one of them. Mika's eyes flickered back and forth as she took in everything. There was really nothing she'd wear on a regular basis.

Rio watched Mika, inconspicuous. It seemed like she was browsing through a rack, but not at all. Her hands rubbed the material of some item of clothing she held, but her eyes were following the wandering Mika; what was she looking for? Anything in particular?

Rio's eyes mischievously sparkled as a smirk curled on her lips; she had thought of something. Grabbing a shirt and skirt from a rack, she bound up to Mika, grinning almost as widely as Yuri.

"Would this look good on me?"

Mika's eyes widened as she looked at the clothing. The skirt was a micro-mini and the shirt was tight. "Um...it depends on what you'd be wearing it for?" Mika squeaked, scratching the back of her damp head hesitantly.

That was when Rio first saw the clothes; the horror showed clear on her face, though she tried to hide it. Turning back towards Mika, she said, "It's for...a date!"

"You have a date?" Mika inquired, knitting her brows together. Rio hadn't mentioned anything about a date before...

"Not anytime soon, silly! I'm talking about in the future! Wouldn't it be nice to already have clothes set out to wear, so you didn't have to worry about it and be late?!"

"Uh, yeah I guess that would be nice. But...do you really think that you'd like to wear _that_? I mean it's so...revealing..."

Rio looked at it and blinked. "I guess you're right," Rio did her best to sound disappointed. She turned back towards the rack she got it from and then paused. "Hey! Why don't you look for clothes with me? I mean, instead of searching for date-clothes, we could look for clothes that would impress a guy!"

Mika cocked an eyebrow. "Why would I do that? You know perfectly well how I feel about dressing up just for the sake of catching some person's attention. I mean, it's so artificial! The guy will probably only like you for your...your body!" Mika sputtered; she blushed for even saying that, and Rio had to smile. Ah, that was the Mika she knew and loved.

"But still! Wouldn't it be fun? Just to have clothes that you knew you looked really nice in..." Rio was trying very hard to fulfill her scheme, which just before had been working in her favor, when she had to go back to the rack.

Mika narrowed her eyes and stared at Rio full-on. "What are you planning?" she suspiciously whispered.

"Nothing! I really just thought it would be nice!"

Mika snorted. "Oh yeah right. Come on! Tell me what you're scheming! And don't try to say there's someone you like who you want to impress--_that _won't work either."

Rio frowned. When she couldn't come up with a lie that she knew Mika--who was a very smart and intuitive girl--would believe, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She never answered the question though, just went back to browsing.

Before Mika could further pursue the question, Yuri jumped to her side. "You two _have_ to see this! There's an outfit the three of us just **have** to buy! And get this--it comes in three different colors! This is _fate_!"

And before either of the two could protest, Yuri dragged them to the other end of the store and was showing them the outfits she was getting so ecstatic about.

**X**

**X**

Many long hours passed. During that Saturday, the three went clothe shopping, book shopping, had lunch, and just roamed around the town. Occasionally they'd stop in a store and buy something, but that was a rare thing.

Just as the sun was setting and the sky was doing that odd transformation from blue to orange, Mika finally remembered something she needed to do. She stopped walking in the middle of an empty sidewalk, eyes wide, putting her conversation with Yuri and Rio to an abrupt halt.

"Mika?! What is it?!" Yuri called back, resting her arms by putting down her canvas shopping bags, which were busting at the seams.

"We need to get back to school!" Mika called back, pushing her now dry hair out of her eyes.

"Why?"

"There's...there's something I need to do!" Mika cast Rio a wary glance. She had figured out what that whole clothes scheme at the beginning of their shopping extravaganza had been about--Kayashima. Ever since Mika had met the aura-boy who fascinated her so much, Rio had been very...well, teasing, for one thing. But she was also always trying to throw her with him.

_Something she doesn't need to do this time, if he'll let me write about him..._Mika dryly thought to herself.

"Well, if you insist we leave...I was hoping we'd be able to stop back at that one store again!" The disappointment in Yuri's voice was very clear, even from the distance Mika was at.

"Yes, please! Thank you so **so** much, Yuri!"

Mika, ignoring her ankle and how her bags slapped against her legs, ran to catch up with them. Checking her watch, she mumbled a curse and looked up high. She remembered seeing that there would be a bus ride back around 6:40, which was in five minutes. The next one after that wouldn't be for another hour--they had to make this one.

_I know I have three weeks for this assignment..._Mika told herself as she began to run towards the bus stop

"Mika! Mika be careful! There's cars! And your ankle!" Rio shouted as she and Yuri chased after their friend; she sounded exactly like a doctor's sister should.

_But who knows how long it will take to write! And I need to make sure he will let me write about him..._

Mika piled straight through the crowds on that side-walk, not even caring how incredibly rude she was being. Behind her she could hear Yuri and Rio mumbling "sorry" and "excuse me". Mika felt bad that she couldn't take time to do the same, but that didn't make her do it.

Finally, she fought her way out of the crowd and let out a gasp of air she had been holding in. Up only about five yards was the bus stop. Mika almost took the time to smile and catch a breath before continuing on to catch it.

"I need to take care of this right away!" she whispered to herself; she was practically groveling to catch a breath after running however many blocks she had gone. Yuri and Rio seemed to be no better, from the sounds of it. They had caught up to the now limping Mika and their breaths were shallow.

"Come on!" Rio urged; forcefully she threw Mika's arm over her shoulder and dragged her on. Only a minute left until the bus was scheduled to come, and they still had that great distance left. Well, it looked like a great distance, anyway.

Yuri rummaged through her pocket for spare change as she carried on, only to find she had spent every last penny shopping. Cursing herself under her breath, she looked back up. Coming up the road was a large automobile--the bus.

"Run ahead, Yuri! Catch it!"

"But I'm not a runner! And my bags!"

"YURI!!" Rio and Mika bellowed in unison; Yuri jumped out of her skin at the loud noise and, clenching the straps of her bags for dear life, she dashed off to the bus stop, making it just before the large thing pulled up. She boarded it after everyone else who was there, and the doors remained open.

"Can you run?" Rio asked Mika as the two jogged closer; they should have made it by now, shouldn't they have?!

"Yeah!"

Rio released her friend and, side by side, the two sprinted towards the bus that was waiting for them, its gas polluting Japan's air. Mika felt a searing pain move through her ankle and all the way up to her knee, hot like a blue flame, but she ignored it and carried in.

Yuri still stood before the bus driver as Rio and Mika boarded, claiming she couldn't sit before she paid for the ride. Rio paid for Yuri, Mika, and herself while Yuri dragged Mika and her bags towards some empty seats in the middle.

Mika keeled over after she sat, exhaustion hitting her hard. It wasn't the same kind of exhaustion she just recovered from though. No, this kind was worse. It was from running, and running, and running, straining your body. Yes, Mika found that much more terrible than lack of sleep.

Before long, the bus started moving, and Rio was practically sitting on Mika's lap, her bags joining those belonging to Mika and--mostly--Yuri at their feet.

**X**

**X**

"So Mika, you never explained to us why you needed to get home so badly," Rio commented as the three got off the bus.

"Homework. I need to ask someone something..."

Yuri cocked an eyebrow. "Who do you need to ask? It must be someone you don't see a lot, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have rushed us to get back..."

Mika shrugged and repositioned the straps of her bag. "I guess you could say that," she said, casting an anxious looked towards the sky. Light was becoming scarce--she hoped she'd still be able to go do it.

So the three continued on in silence; once at the entrance of St. Blossom, they separated. Yuri was going to her dorm, Rio was going to the cafeteria, and Mika was heading towards her own dorm, just to drop off her stuff.

Mika ended up sitting down on her bed though so rub her ankle. The pain hadn't left when she rested her legs on the bus. It flickered like a flame--painful, not so painful, and back again. It was annoying. After massaging the sprained and swollen ankle for a moment, she stood and headed out again.

Outside it was dim, but street lights lined the sidewalks, making it all a bit brighter, diminishing the dark in areas. But they didn't diminish Mika's sudden fears. She crept carefully along, making sure she had her keys to her dorm with her; she needn't worry about getting back onto the property after dark--Saint Blossom left the gates unlocked. But getting into the building, which would be something different. The doors were locked tight, and windows had high security.

Mika sighed. _Maybe this isn't such a good idea..._ she warily thought, running a shaking hand through her dark hair as she trudged onward, heading towards Osaka High for Boys. How far away was that place anyway? They were partner schools, so it couldn't be _too_ far but...

There was a rustling in the bushes; Mika came to a stop and her muscles tensed up. Squeezing her eyes shut, Mika counted to five and then opened them again, praying she'd be back at school when she did so. But she wasn't, and there was still rustling in the bushes.

Just as Mika was about to turn around and hurry back, someone stumbled out of the shrubs onto the dark part of the sidewalk. Mika desperately looked over her shoulder at the streetlight she had walked past, and then back towards the figure--a tall figure, and obviously a male. Swallowing hard, she prepared herself to make a run for it, back towards St. Blossom. She'd bang her small fists against the grand oak doors, if need be, until they let her in, since it was pretty much pitch black out now, but for the lights.

But she couldn't move.

And the figure was taking a step towards her.

**X**

**X**

**a/n how much do you all  
hate me  
for leaving that cliffhanger,  
huh?  
yeah...  
anyway! I'm sorry it took a couple days to update  
School gets in the way  
but at least it wasn't as long a wait as you had  
between chapters three  
And four!  
anyway! please drop a review!  
it would be greatly appreciated!  
later!**


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n **yay! at long last, I have come out with chapter seven! I know it has taken me quite some time, and I apologize deeply for that. I hope you can forgive me and enjoy the chapter :)

* * *

**Chapter Seven--**_Nighttime at Osaka_

Mika felt her breath catch in her throat. What had she gotten herself into? She squeezed her eyes shut and slowly counted to three, hoping once again that it would all disappear when her eyes opened again. She would be back with Yuri and Rio, out shopping, and she never decided that she had to do this now.

However, when she opened her eyes, it was still pitch-black outside, and she was still as a statue in the middle of who knew where while a strange man was approaching her. It looked like he had a dog, too. Mika shuddered as she pictured the dog snarling at her, revealing large, sharp fangs that could go straight through her bones. She closed her eyes again; her whole body was shaking.

Why couldn't she move? Why was she just frozen there like a defenseless little girl. She could do something! She should do something! But what? The man and his dog were getting closer and closer, and it wasn't getting any lighter out.

The man was within reaching distance, and leaning slightly towards her. Mika could see his silhouette, as well as the dog's—the dog was making some sort of noise in his throat; he moved slightly into what Mika assumed was a fighting stance.

"Don't you touch me!" Mika stammered. She was shaking all over as she looked back and forth between the strange figures. Where was the light? If she could see, maybe she'd feel stronger—more empowered. Maybe then she'd be able to move.

"I was--" the man began to say, but Mika interrupted him.

"Don't you talk to me either!" she snapped. Without even realizing what she was doing, she slapped him across the face; there was a resounding SMACK, and Mika knew that it stung. However, he didn't react, just stood there, stunned. Mika felt the ability to move slowly coming back. As soon as it reached her feet, she kicked the predator hard in the shins and then dashed across the street, forgetting in that moment of fear and exhilaration that her ankle was sprained, and she had already exerted herself enough earlier.

Mika looked over her shoulder at the figure, who stood where she had left him, and almost left out a laugh. She had actually defended herself! Sure, it had taken some time, and at first she couldn't move, but she actually defended herself against a sexual predator! She was so proud of herself!

With her head so filled with pride and laughter, Mika forgot what she was doing, and therefore forgot to pay attention to where she was going. So, as a result of this…she tripped.

Leave it to Ogata Mika to trip in her moment of glory.

She groaned loudly and sat up, having landed on her face. Her hands stung; she assumed that, once again, she had scraped them up. Her face also stung a bit, and her body felt a little beat up; she assumed it would be worse in the morning; it always was.

Worst of all, though, was her ankle. She was supposed to be treating it with great care, but all she seemed to be doing was hurting it more and more, over and over again. It got a little repetitive after a while, and she knew that when Dr. Umeda examined it and figured out how it happened, he would not be pleased. She was probably going to get quite an earful.

"Oh, damn it all!" she screamed, banging her fists down on the concrete. The combination of the pain she was experiencing, and the lecture looming ahead had put her into quite a state. It seemed odd for her to think that, not even a full two minutes ago, she had been happy and proud; and before that, so afraid.

Well, if she had learned anything at all over the past few weeks, it was that there was very little you should really be afraid of after meeting Dr. Umeda. He was probably the most frightening human being on the face of the earth—in every sense of the word.

"Oh dear, what will I tell him?" she wondered, her eyes going wide. "Surely, he'll wonder what I was doing out at night—and running, no less. He said I should use my ankle, but he didn't say I should run! Oh, bother! Curse Umeda! Curse this situation! Curse my ankle! And why not curse me as well! It won't change much, but hey, at least it will give me something to blame everything that happens to me on!"

She stifled a sob and buried her face into her knees.

"Um…are you alright?"

Mika's head snapped up, her light brown eyes wide. There stood the sexual predator from before—she recognized his outline…and the dog—but he was no sexual predator. It was Sano Izumi, from Osaka. She had met him just the other day, along with other friends of Kayashima's.

Ugh! I feel so stupid! And embarrassed! She thought. She blushed and held her hot face between her hands, shaking her head.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm alright," she whispered, refusing to look up at him. How mortifying!

He remained silent before asking in a slow voice, "Would you like me to help you up?"

"Y-yes, please," Mika stuttered. She accepted the hand he offered, still refusing to look at him, and stumbled to her feet. "L-look, Sano—you are Sano, right?" she asked, glancing at him briefly, just to double check; he nodded. "Okay, good. I'm sorry for…slapping you…and kicking you just before." Her blush deepened. "I couldn't really see you, since there's no light over there, and I…I was afraid that…I thought you might be a…" She stopped short, shaking her head. It was too humiliating! And besides, he didn't really need to know, did he? She already apologized and explained to him that she hadn't seem him. What other information could he possibly need?

"A…what?"

Mika exhaled, puffing her cheeks out as she did so. "I thought you might have been a sexual predator," she mumbled, ducking her head. Her hair fell like a curtain in front of her face, and she was quite thankful for the length for the first time she could remember.

Sano chuckled. "Well, that's interesting," he remarked. "No girl has even told me that before."

"I'm s-sorry! It was dark, and I really had no cl—AGH!"

She stumbled backwards as the dog, as if just realizing she were there, jumped up on her, licking her face with his long tongue. "S-stop it!" Mika laughed, running her fingers through the dog's fur. "Get off me, sweetie!"

"Yujiro—get down," Sano ordered, tugging gently at the leash. Yujiro whined and obeyed, though he still panted a lot and smiled at Mika.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Mika asked. She was finally getting at least semi-comfortable around Sano. She didn't know if she would ever get completely comfortable around him—he seemed so serious and intimidating—but she was glad she wasn't blushing anymore.

"Walking Yujiro," he answered, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was, if Mika thought about it. He was, after all, walking when Mika first saw him, and he was dragging a dog along with him. Mika had a way of not seeing what was right in front of her though. "What about you Mika?"

"Oh." Another thing that she should have seen coming, yet failed to. "I was just…" The embarrassment was back again. It was unavoidable, though, when he was staring at her with those eyes. Did he have any idea how hot he was; how incredibly intimidating?

"Well, to be quite honest," Mika continued, clearing her throat (she decided quickly that honesty was probably the best route to go. Sano would probably see right through her lie anyway. He seemed like a smart guy). "I was headed over to Osaka High. I needed to ask someone something, but I didn't take into account how quickly it gets dark and how slowly I walk due to my…handicap, I guess you could call it." She gestured towards her ankle, a sour expression on her face. "I probably should have waited for tomorrow or something, but I really wanted to ask…today."

Sano's head gave a small nod; Mika wasn't sure if it was in acknowledgment of what she said, or what. Perhaps he was saying he understood? Or maybe he was saying that she should have waited? It could have meant anything, but Mika didn't ask. Speaking to him was flustering, and she just…didn't like it. It wasn't that she didn't like him; she didn't even know him. But talking to him…took too much effort. And it took too much out of her.

"You should go back," he said after a moment; he was very straightforward, wasn't he? He said what he meant with seemingly no hesitation.

"I don't know if I can," the girl whispered, biting her lip. "The gates are open at all hours, but they lock the entrances into the dorms and the school when it gets dark. Sometimes its late, or there's someone there to open the door, but…" Mika sighed. "I suppose I could go to Yuri's house; she'll still be up doing homework…but I'm not really sure how to…get there…from here."

Sano grumbled something, and then shrugged. "I guess you should come back with me, then. Girls aren't allowed in the dorms, though, so we'll have to be careful…" Saying these words really seemed to be killing him.

"Th-thanks, Sano-kun. I appreciate it."

"Humph."

The two started walking back through the darkness to the school. Yujiro walked happily in between them, wagging his tail and occasionally licking Mika on the hand. She laughed and pet him, but then returned to her silent, awkward state. She wasn't used to being around guys; especially not guys like Sano. It would help so much if he would crack a joke or even simply smile! Then Mika could forget the tension and just laugh along with him. She could forget that she was with a guy—a concept she still wasn't used to, thanks Mamma Ogata!—and just feel comfortable.

That didn't seem possible, however, with Sano Izumi, and she quickly gave up on that dream, focusing instead on what she would say to Kayashima when she saw him. If she saw him. What would happen if she couldn't find him? Clearly, Sano knew him, but what if he didn't know where he lived?! She would have gone through all of this terror and awkwardness for nothing.

Where am I going to sleep after I talk to him? Mika suddenly wondered. Her eyes went wide and she stopped in her tracks. Yes, where would she go? She couldn't very well spend the night there, and she couldn't go back to St. Blossom's, either. Maybe, if she thought about it hard enough, she would be able to think of a way to the Iwakura household from Osaka Gakuen. If not, then she could backtrack to St. Blossom's, and then walk over from there. Yes, that was what she would do! She would have to call, first, of course. She wouldn't want to show up there unexpected. Her grandmother would probably end up brutally assaulting her with a broom.

"So, who did you need to talk to?" Sano asked. They had passed through the school gates, now, and were headed towards the dormitories.

"Kayashima Taiki," Mika answered hesitantly. She liked the sound of his name; she liked the way it tasted on her tongue even more. It was like a rare fruit—sweet and juicy. It made her smile, despite her awkwardness. Kayashima Taiki. She could get used to saying that. She could even get used to thinking about him…once she got to know him better. Until then, she would continue to find it silly and stupid.

Sano nodded again, then resumed his silent walk. Mika walked along with him, equally as silent. She felt nervous, for some stupid reason. All she was going to do was ask Kayashima the question. It was that simple. And besides—he was a nice guy. It wasn't as if he would laugh at her or anything. Or at least, she assumed he wouldn't. He really didn't seem like the type of guy who would do such a thing.

With great care, Sano led Mika through the dimly lit dormitory, after leaving Yujiro off at his dog house. Most everyone was already in their room for the night, though they did have an encounter with the dorm master…person. Sano quickly backed Mika up into a dark corner and stood in front of her; he was a good deal taller than her, so she was hidden pretty well.

"What're you doing out so late, Sano?" the man asked amiably, as if he were truly curious.

"I was just walking Yujiro," Sano calmly replied; well, it was the truth after all. Why shouldn't he be calm about it?

"Ah, of course! Well, carry on!"

And with one last look at Sano (he was squinting, as if he almost say Mika there) he disappeared to continue his rounds. Sano ushered Mika in front of him, mumbling something under his breath about what he'd gotten himself into, and then once more became silent.

They reached the second floor quickly. The two walked a short distance down the hallway, and then stopped. He rapped his knuckles on the door of Room 203, where, Mika noticed, there was a name plate saying 'Nakatsu Shuichi and Kayashima Taiki.'

Not a minute later, the door was opened, and there stood Nakatsu. He appeared slightly baffled as he looked at Sano.

"Hey, Sano…what's up?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He was completely oblivious to Mika's presence.

Sano pointed at Mika in response, and Nakatsu's eyes widened. He then grinned mischieviously and jiggled his eyebrows up and down. "Sano, you naughty boy! Sneaking a girl into the dorm at night! Do you want me to as Ashiya over or something? So you two can have some privacy? Is that what you wanted?"

Sano narrowed his eyes and slapped the bleached-blonde boy upside the head.

"Ow! What was the for?!" Nakatsu screeched, rubbing his head and scowling.

"You idiot! It's Mika! Remember…we met her the other day…"

Nakatsu brought his face down to Mika's level and stared at her through narrowed eyes. The female could almost see his brain at work, trying to figure out where he knew her face from. Finally, it dawned on him and he straightened up, grinning ever so slightly.

"Oh, right! Hey Mika! What're you doing here? Come in, come in!"

Nakatsu led Mika into the dormitory while Sano disappeared into the one next door.

"So, what can I do you for?"

Mika looked around slowly, feeling incredibly tense and uncomfortable. This was not a situation she was used to.

"Well, I actually came here to ask Ta--Kayashima something. Is he here?"

Nakatsu, who was now seated quite comfortably in a computer chair, his arms still crossed over his chest, and his legs crossed as well, nodded over to the other side of the room. Mika turned her gaze and, upon what she found there, gave a start.

"Oh! I didn't see him there!" she exclaimed, blushing a furious shade of red. "Is he doing yoga?"

Nakatsu nodded; his face still looked strangely serious. "He does it every night. Says it's to…cleanse his spirit or something." Nakatsu shrugged. "He totally zones everything else out when he's doing it, so you're going to have to wait for a little bit. In the mean time—sit down! Relax. You look so tense!" He laughed, his grin broadening, and Mika immediately felt at ease. How much nicer it would have been if Nakatsu had been the one she stumbled upon on her way over! He was much friendlier and easier to be around, always laughing and talking about something.

"Thanks, Nakatsu-san." The brunette settled onto the floor, leaning against the bed for back support. The throbbing in her ankle was still fierce, but like so many other things in life, she had learned to ignore it in a short period of time.

Nakatsu rambled on about all sorts of things as they sat there, waiting for Kayashima to be finished with his yoga. He spoke of the real Osaka, where he was from; he talked about the food there, and here; his favorite drink was peach juice, and, by the sounds of it, his favorite food was tokayaki. He told Mika all about his parents and their odd relationship. Then he talked about soccer—his all-time favorite sport. Apparently, he was nicknamed the Fiery Lion of Osaka Gakuen because of his extreme soccer skills.

He got so into it, becoming completely energized and thrilled so that his eyes actually lit up. He was smiling like crazy, and laughing, too. Mika felt very comfortable, despite the fact she was in an all-boy's school at night with two people she barely knew. Nakatsu had that sort of affect on people. He was just very easy-going and accepting. He didn't care who you were; so long as you weren't deaf, he would talk to you for hours about anything that was on his mind. He didn't care what people might say about him, because he was very comfortable with himself; he knew who he was. Maybe he was a little different than everyone else, but he was still himself; he was still a person. That was all he needed to know.

"So what about you?" he asked, cutting his latest soccer anecdote short and staring at her.

"Uh…er…what about me?" Mika asked, startled. She hadn't been expecting him to ask her any questions.

"You know…what are your parents like? What do you like? What do you do?"

"Oh. Um…well…" Mika shrugged, feeling her face tinge pink. She opened her mouth to continue, but stopped when she saw Kayashima standing up. Nakatsu followed her gaze and grin.

"Your got off lucky this time; next time, though, you're mine!" Nakatsu joked. With that said, he walked out of the room and headed next door.

"Hello," Mika greeted as soon as the door closed. She smiled gently and gave a small wave in Kayashima's direction. He returned the gesture, though he didn't say anything. Instead, he proceeded to clean up his yoga mat.

Mika watched curiously, fascinated by the great care he took in rolling the mat. If it had been Mika, she probably would have just rolled it up and thrown it in the corner without a second thought.

He passed her by when he went to put it away, and cast her a quick glance. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking by his face, which was completely devoid of any sort of emotion; Mika found that unfair. Even if she kept her face the same way, he would be able to tell what she was thinking because of her aura. She realized then that that was probably what he had actually been looking at.

"You want to ask me a question," the male suddenly declared. He turned and looked at her then, seeming truly curious. "Is that why you're here?"

"Actually, yes; it is," Mika responded. Despite the fact that she knew what he could do, she was a bit surprised that he knew that. Just how much did her aura give away? And how much could he figure out without his abilites?

"It seems such a silly reason to risk getting in trouble, don't you think?" he inquired gently. He took a few steps towards her and then stopped, making himself comfortable on the floor a few feet away from her.

"I suppose so; I didn't know it was going to get dark on my way over though. Otherwise, I would have just stayed at school and waited until tomorrow." She ruffled her bangs and sighed. Then she gasped, her eyes widening suddenly. "You don't mind me being here, do you?"

The corners of Kayashima's mouth lifted slightly, and he shook his head. "No, I don't." He then chuckled. "You got so flustered by that thought."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be a nuisance," she muttered with a blush while wringing her hands. She glanced upwards at him, saw that he had no reaction at all to what she—or her aura—said, so she straightened.

"Anyway! The question I came to ask! Right!" She smiled at him and then took a deep breath. "For my writing class, we have been assigned to write about a person with a special gift or talent or trait. When I heard this, I immediately thought of you. I have never heard of anyone else with a gift like yours, and I am really intrigued by it. So I came here to ask your permission to write about you and your talent."

Kayashima showed no signs of agreeing or disagreeing to this predicament. Mika waited patiently for him to give her a sign, but he remained impassive; unmoving. It barely looked like he was breathing, actually.

Hesitantly, Mika got onto her knees and crawled closer to him. She stared straight into his violet eyes, hoping that she would be able to see some sign of life, or acknowledgement; something. There was nothing. His eyes were so unfeeling, and yet, at the same time, they had more spirit in them then any eyes Mika had ever had seen before.

She reached forward cautiously, then, to press her hand against his chest to listen for a heartbeat. Before her fingers could even brush against his sweater, though, she heard the sound of his heart beating. It was loud and clear, suddenly, pouding against his ribcage.

Mika jumped back in astonishment, nearly banging her head against the bed-frame in the process. This caused Kayashima to also jump up. He took a few short strides towards her and knelt down. "Are you alright?" he asked. His eyebrows were pulled together in concentration—and worry, too, possibly. He was frowning—his lips curved ever-so-slightly downwards—as he waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine! My head is undamaged!" She laughed, her smile reaching all the way up to her eyes. Kayashima looked slightly relieved—it was, again, hard to tell with him; he was a closed book, never letting anything show on his face long enough for anyone to really be able to tell what was going on. He stood back up and returned to the spot where he came from.

"You're a walking accident, aren't you?" he mused. There was that slight smile again. Mika liked the way it looked on his face.

Mika examined her ankle, and then her hands. "Ha ha! I suppose I am aren't I?" She pressed her hands against her hip-bones and winced. Yes; she was definitely going to feel the results of that trip doubled in the morning. Not exactly something she was looking forward to. "I've probably hurt my ankle twice since I've last seen you. And my hands are scraped up again."

Kayashima stared blankly at her, shaking his head. "You seem proud of this fact…why?"

Mika shook her head. "I'm not proud; I simply accept it. There's a difference, you know."

Kayashima raised his eyebrows. "So there is."

"Yes. But do you know something that there isn't yet?" Mika asked, and immediately regretted it. Perhaps she was being too familiar with him; too pushy; too much of a jerk. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, biting her lower lip. "I didn't mean to say it like that! It was rude of me, and impatient, and just--"

Kayashima shook his head. "It's fine. I'm not even absolutely sure of what you're talking about, anyway."

"Oh." Mika appeared stumped. "Oh. Alright! Allow me to rephrase that then." She cleared her throat and tucked her loose hairs behind her ear. "Kayashima-kun, I do not mean to be impatient, but do you have an answer to my question yet?"

"I thought that might be what you were referring to," the aura-boy commented quietly. "But, no; I'm sorry. I do not have an answer yet. Maybe if you could tell me more about it, I would be able to tell you sooner whether or not I am…comfortable with it."

"Oh! Okay! Well, it is supposed to be about a person who has a special ability. It can be of any length, and we can say anything we want about them. He said that, maybe, if we wanted to, after the papers were graded, we could turn it into a contest. Whoever has the best paper—taking into account the length, writing technique, and the person they are writing about—will have their essay published in the school paper…with a picture of the person with the talent--And only if the person who was written about gives permission.

"Now for me, personally, I would want to not only write about your gift, but also you. I don't believe that we should be treating our…topics, for lack of a better word, as if they are in a zoo, you know? I thought it would be nice for everyone to know about the person, not just what they do; what they're capable of doing. Plus, it would prove that you—or whoever I end up writing about—is just like everyone else, really. What do you think? Clearly, I don't know you very well, so I would need to get to know you better, but…" Mika stopped, biting her lip again. She stared anxiously at Kayashima as she awaited his answer. His face remained completely still, all but for his eyes, which were at battle with one another.

Mika resisted the urge to check her watch as she waited for him. She could sense it was getting late, but that would have been rude. She needed to be patient. Clearly, this was something that bothered him. She could tell by the distress in his eyes—something that she wasn't supposed to see, nor was anyone else.

"I would show you what I'd written before I handed it in," Mika added hastily, becoming somewhat impatient as she waited for him to either grant permission or withhold it. "That way you would be able to scan it over for anything you wouldn't want publicized."

When he still didn't answer after that—or even acknowledge that he had heard her—Mika proceeded to braid her long ponytail. She then ruffled her bangs repeatedly and massaged her ankle tenderly, being very careful to avoid damaging it further.

"Alright," he said at last. Mika was surprised at how weakened his voice sounded, as if he really had been battling with himself over that decision. He then smiled at her; and it was the biggest smile she had seen on his face yet. One look at it, and her heart beat against her ribcage. One look at it, and she wanted to hug him tighter than she had ever hug anyone before.

"Alright," Mika replied; she grinned as well. "Thank you, Kayashima-kun!" She held her hands together and bowed to him, which was a bit difficult to do while seated on the floor as she was.

Cool hands touched hers, removing them from their folded position. Mika looked up slowly, her expression unsure. Kayashima was looking at her oddly, his face cocked to the side.

"What are you doing?" he wondered.

"Bowing," Mika stated, returning his odd glance. Had her stance really been that bad. She understood she was sitting, so it was difficult to do, but she thought he would still be able to tell what she was doing.

"Yes, but why?"

"Be-because I'm thanking you. For letting me write about you. It's a sign of respect. I thought…" She drifted off, not entirely sure what it was she thought. It was kind of hard to think straight when he was still holding her fingers gently in his slender hands.

Kayashima seemed to notice this at the same time she did—by the color of her aura, no doubt—and said, "Let's get these hands cleaned up, hm? We wouldn't want them to get infected…"

He nimbly got to his feet and then helped Mika to hers, taking into careful consideration the state of her ankle. He immediately then let go of her hands and walked over to a first-aide kit that hung on the wall. From it he pulled out some sort of wound-cleaning fluid, a cotton ball, and two band-aides.

Kayashima soaked the cotton ball in the mustard-yellow liquid then rubbed it gently on her hands. He let it sit for a moment then, after blowing gently on each of the scrapes, he put stuck a band-aide on them.

"That's as far as my expertise on healing goes, I am sorry to say," he joked as he put his supplies away.

"Oh darn it! I was hoping I could come to you about my ankle instead of Umeda; he scares me!" Mika jokingly replied. Then, in all seriousness, she said, "All that bitter old man does is poke at my ankle and tell me to 'use' it. What's his definition of 'using' it anyway? I ran twice on it today; I don't think that really did it any good. Though, what do I know? My knowledge about medicine is even more limited then yours." She gave a short laugh and shook her head.

Kayashima smiled sadly at her. "I'm sorry."

And that was pretty much it in ways of conversation. Mika's phone vibrated in her pocket; she rolled her eyes and pulled it out. It was a text message from Rio, wondering where she was. Mika sighed, and checked the time. It was late; definitely too late to get back into the dorms, if she was even considering it—which she wasn't.

'I was just about to head over to Yuri's. Getting the answer to my question took longer than I thought it would,' Mika texted back. She sighed again and smiled at Kayashima.

"Well, thanks for everything. I really appreciate you letting me do my assignment on you; and the bandages. My hands feel a whole lot better now." She smiled, deciding not to mention to mention the dull ache she felt pretty much everywhere else. That had been a big trip.

Kayashima looked alarmed. "Where are you going?"

"My friend Yuri's house; it's the only place I can go to sleep now. I won't be able to get into my dorm at this hour." She laughed light-heartedly and shrugged. "I've been meaning to have a sleepover with Yuri anyway!"

"You can't go out alone at night, though!" Kayashima insisted, frowning deeply. "There are too many dangerous beings out at night."

Well, Mika thought wryly, he would know best.

"I'll be alright. I made it most of the way here by myself, didn't I? Besides, it isn't like I could sleep here, so I have no other choice. It's a boys' dormitory, and I don't think that I know you well enough to ask that of you. I would be imposing on you and Nakatsu."

With that and a smile, she walked to the door and grabbed onto the door knob. Just as she was about to turn it, her phone vibrated again. She grumbled something and pulled it out. Quickly, she read Rio's reply, and her face fell in despair.

"What's wrong?" Kayashima inquired, appearing suddenly at her side.

"N-nothing! Just Rio being silly is all! Thanks again, Kayashima! I look forward to seeing you again soon!" She smiled at him again, nodded, and opened the door, disappearing out into the hallway.

**X**

**X**

Not even two full minutes had passed; she hadn't even made it to the stairs without freaking out. What if she got caught by the dorm advisor…person?! What if she didn't, and she actually got outside? Either way, what would happen to her.

Reluctantly, she spun around on her heels and made her way back to room 203, remaining as quiet as possible. She took a deep breath and knocked twice on the wooden door. It opened a crack, revealing half of Kayashima's blank face.

"I thought you would be coming back," he remarked. Opening the door wider, he stepped aside and ushered her in.

"How did you know?" Mika wondered, befuddled. "Surely my aura didn't tell you that, too! Seriously, what are the restrictions on this aura thing?!"

Kayashima smiled slyly. "That is something you will find out during our interview."

"Fine, fine! But really, how did you know? Even I didn't."

Kayashima shrugged. "I am observant even without the help of my sixth sense," he answered simply. "Why did you come back though? That I can't figure out on my own, and my sixth sense isn't any help."

Mika sighed, slumping into a heap on the ground. "It's just because I don't always listen when my friends are talking to me. Or I'm not listening hard enough to remember it later." She pulled her phone from her pocket, cleared her throat, and read the text message Rio had sent her out loud. "Why would you do that? Yuri's sleeping over at our dorm tonight! Remember?! We discussed this when we were shopping earlier! And besides, her parents go to bed super-early, so they wouldn't be able to let you in. WHERE ARE YOU?!'" She shut her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. "That's why I came back. It was either here or the streets. Both are as dangerous, but it's more comfortable here." She grinned broadly at her joke, though Kayashima's face remained is still as a statue's.

"I really am sorry. I should have waited until tomorrow to come over."

Kayashima shook his head. "It's alright."

"No it isn't. What if someone finds me here? You and Nakatsu could get into serious trouble. I don't know you guys well enough to be comfortable being the cause of that. Now give it a few more days, and if we have this situation again, I might feel better about it."

Kayashima smiled appreciatively at her joke, then turned and went to go get her something to sleep in. He liked the fact that she already felt so comfortable around him. Some of his friends didn't even feel this comfortable around him, yet here she was joking around and acting as if they had known each other for years, rather than just weeks. What he liked even more, though, was the fact that he felt comfortable around her. She was a good person and was truly interested in him; she wasn't just making fun of him. He didn't need to read her aura to tell that; all he needed to do was look at her smile.

He returned to her was a pair of pajamas in his hands. "Here. I'll set up a bed while you get changed."

"Thanks, Kayashima-kun!" She gladly accepted the pajamas and went into the bathroom to change. She had just been beginning to feel comfortable with this situation, but that quickly disappeared as it hit her. She was going to be sleeping in a room with two teenage guys who she didn't know with no girls anywhere nearby. The only good thing coming out of this was that the shirt Kayashima had given her to wear was awesome. It was a forest green muscle shirt with the Ghost Busters insignia in the middle of it, with the English words 'Who ya gonna call? Ghost Busters!' written on it.

She laughed, thinking about the irony of this, as she slipped it over her head. Then she shimmied into the flannel pajama pants which had been lent to her and collected her things, holding them close to her as she stepped out into the dormitory.

"Um…is there anywhere I can put my stuff?" she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. It was weird to be in his clothes, and sleeping at his dorm; his scent was all around her; his things; him. It wasn't as if she was just realizing this, but it was hitting her hardest just then, as she stood before him, completely surrounded by it all.

He nodded, returning to his silence, and went to retrieve a bag for her.

"Thanks," the female muttered. She carefully folded each item of clothing and then threw it into the bag so that it all came undone. She then placed it in a corner so that it was hidden but she wouldn't forget it, and sat down on her bed.

"Again, thanks," she said. She couldn't help but laugh. She had so much to thank him for, and yet she barely knew him.

The shadow of a smile flickered across his face in response, and then he disappeared into the bathroom. By the time he came back out, Mika was already fast asleep on her makeshift bed, curled up into a ball with nothing covering her.

Kayashima clicked his tongue and shook his head, then grabbed the blanket off his bed and spread it over her.

"Thank you, Taiki-kun," she whispered groggily.

Kayashima stared at her for a moment, entranced by the way her hair fell across her face, and how thick her lashes were. Then, coming to his senses, he shook his head and mumbled a quick, "You're welcome," in response.

She smiled.

Kayashima sighed and settled into bed. He didn't turn off the light; Nakatsu still hadn't returned. And Nakatsu would need the light so make his way to the bathroom without tripping over their guest—whom, when he did come back, he screeched in fright at the sight of—or anything else he had left thrown about.

Kayashima Taiki frowned, staring at the ceiling above him. Then, with a sigh, he turned onto his side and stared down at Mika's sleeping figure. At once, his restless soul felt at ease, and he could sleep.

* * *

**a/n **so, what did you think? I thought that this chapter was kind of cute. I was worried though, as I wrote it, that I may have gotten Sano or Kayashima out of character. Did anyone else get that feeling? Also, is Mika seeming too perfect? I am going to try very hard to incorporate more flaws into her system, especially in the rewriting of chapters two through six, which I can start now--thank the lord! I won't have to deal with thoughts of those horrid chapters anymore! Yay!

Ha ha.

So, anyway! Please give me feedback :) I always appreciate it!

xoxxx

StEpPiNg StOnEs

Ugh, I just realized that ALL of the italics I had in word don't show up on here / grrr! I'm just too lazy and tired to fix that right now though(I have good reason; it's 3 in the morning). Or ever. Oh well. At least my version will have it right :P


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